10 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what advice English Heritage has provided in connection with the work in 10 Downing Street associated with Westminster city council planning application reference 08/00696/1884.

Barbara Follett: Westminster City Council planning application reference PT/08/00696/1884 refers to an application dated 10 January 2008 for listed building consent to refurbish ground floor lavatories off the Inner Lobby of 10 Downing Street. English Heritage was notified on 29 January 2008 of the application and replied to Westminster on 7 February 2008 with a 'non-intervention' letter. This authorized the city council to determine the application for listed building consent as it saw fit.

Creativity and Business International Network

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent on producing branded ampersands for the meeting of the Creativity and Business International Network in Liverpool on 20 November 2008.

Andy Burnham: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend, the Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism, gave him on 14 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1210W. The cost of the ampersands is included within the £1 million allocated towards the running of the World Creative Business Conference in each of the next three years, including 2008-09.

Creativity and Business International Network

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent on food and drink for the meeting of the Creativity and Business International Network in Liverpool on 20 November 2008.

Andy Burnham: The total cost of food and drink at the reception and dinner held for the Creativity and Business International Network on 20 November 2008 was £3581.

Culture: Research

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions Ministers from his Department have had with Ministerial colleagues in the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills on funding for media and cultural studies research in the last 12 months; and what the outcome of those meetings was.

Andy Burnham: I regularly meet with ministerial colleagues to discuss a wide range of issues.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on Ministerial hospitality in  (a) 2004-05,  (b) 2005-06,  (c) 2006-07 and  (d) 2007-08, expressed in current prices.

Barbara Follett: The Department's accounting system does not separately record information on expenditure on ministerial hospitality and this could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	All expenditure on hospitality is made in accordance with published departmental guidance, based on the principles set out in Managing Public Money.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guests attended the dinner hosted by his Department at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool on 20 November 2008.

Andy Burnham: The following people attended the launch event for the Creativity and Business International Network on 20 November 2008.
	Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
	Barbara Follett, Minister for Culture and Creative Industries and Tourism
	Jon Zeff, Director, Media, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
	Martha Kearney, Journalist (acting as moderator)
	Andy Duncan, Chief Executive, Channel 4
	Boko Inyundo, Global Sector Manager Linklaters LLE
	Chris Clarke, CEO, Nitro Group
	Ian Findlay, Director, Ariadne Capital
	Jatin Das, Artist
	Jocelyn Stevenson, Creative Director, TT Animation
	John Smith, Chief Executive, BBC Worldwide
	Julia Barfield, Founder Director, Marks Barfield Architects
	Laurence Green, Founding Partner and Chairman, Fallon London
	Lorna Tilbian, Executive Director, Numis Corporation plc.
	Lucian Grainge, Chairman and Chief Executive, Universal Music Group International
	Mark Thompson, Director-General, BBC
	Martin Lambie-Naim, Founder ML-N Brand Consultancy
	Nicholas Coleridge, Managing Director Condé Nast Publications UK, and Vice-President Condé Nast International
	Patrick McKenna, Chief Executive, Ingenious Media
	Paul Bennett, Managing Partner, Europe and Chief Creative Officer IDEO
	Peter Molyneux, Founder and CEO, Lionhead Studios
	Phil Redmond, Chair of National Museums Liverpool
	Spencer Hyman, Chief Operating Officer, Last.fm
	Tony Orsten, Chief Executive Officer, twofour54

Digital Switchover: Wales

Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1085W, on digital switchover: South Wales, 
	(1)  whether the Core Receiver Requirements set in November 2008 in respect of audio description will apply to all equipment supplied through the Helpscheme for digital changeover in South Wales;
	(2)  whether the Core Receiver Requirements set in November 2008 in respect of audio description will apply to all equipment supplied through the Helpscheme for digital changeover in Mid and West Wales;
	(3)  whether the Core Receiver Requirements set in November 2008 in respect of audio description will apply to all equipment supplied through the Helpscheme for digital changeover in North Wales.

Andy Burnham: As detailed within the Scheme Agreement (Chapter 3, 20 (3)), the Core Receiver Requirements in respect of audio description only apply to Most Cost Effective Offer equipment in North Wales, South Wales and Mid and West Wales.

Hotels: Regulation

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the size of the regulatory burden for  (a) bed and breakfast establishments and  (b) hotels; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: Visit Britain (VB) have advised that during the British Tourism framework review, they received a number of submissions from stakeholders in the tourism sector about the burden of regulation. The cost is not quantified, and, indeed, individual regulations are rarely mentioned other than the 'overall' effect. However, there has been a clear sense of concern among accommodation providers about fire risk assessments introduced by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
	The former Minister for Tourism, Margaret Hodge, met with the then Fire Minister, Parmjit Dhanda and one of VB's quality managers to press the case for clearer interpretation of rules across fire authorities and it was agreed that DCLG would look at it again and issue new guidance.
	DCLG have provided a new guidance briefing for accommodation providers. VB is delivering these with its magazine, "Quality Edge", which was circulated on Monday 19 January to businesses that are quality assessed by VB.

Public Libraries: Statistics

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to his answer of 21 January,  Official Report, column 1456W, what statistical information his Department gathers relating to library services.

Barbara Follett: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport gathers statistical information relating to library services through its Taking Part survey. This is a continuous household survey providing national data on participation in culture, leisure and sport by adults aged 16 and over.
	In relation to libraries, Taking Part asks respondents whether they have visited one in the past 12 months and, if so, how often. It also asks about their experiences during their last visit; their satisfaction with the library's services, and whether they would repeat the visit. The survey also tries to find out why respondents have not visited a library. The latest available data for libraries, which includes demographic breakdowns of attendance, can be found at:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/publications/5396.aspx
	In April 2008, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport added questions to Sport England's Active People survey to collect data for participation in cultural activities for the purposes of the National Indicator Set. Respondents are asked whether they had used a public library service in the past 12 months. Baseline estimates of attendance for all upper-tier local authorities can be found at:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/research_and_statistics/5607.aspx

Swimming: Elderly

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 1073W, on swimming, which local authorities made representations on plans for free swimming for those over the age of 60; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each such representation.

Andy Burnham: Local authority responses are still being collated ahead of the launch of the Free Swimming programme on 1 April 2009. To date we have received approximately forty representations from local authorities on plans for free swimming for those over the age of sixty. We are taking account of these representations and are in continuing discussion with authorities in the run-up to the start of the scheme. At this stage I have no plans to put in the Library copies of local authority correspondence regarding the Free Swimming programme.

Swimming: Young People

Dan Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of local authorities he expects will take part in the initiative to provide free swimming for under 16 year olds.

Andy Burnham: Of the 354 local authorities 211 (59.6 per cent.) have signed up to offer free swimming to under 16-year-olds. I am arranging for a list of participating authorities to be deposited in the Libraries of the House.

Apprentices

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the answer of 8 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1521W, on apprentices, what progress has been made in increasing the number of apprentices in his Department; and how many apprentices his Department employs.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office currently has 12 staff completing apprenticeships, and 33 staff have already completed. The Department will offer 16 new places to staff each year.

Departmental ICT

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2008,  Official Report, column 773W, on departmental ICT, what his most recent estimate of the  (a) cost and  (b) completion date of each of the projects referred to is; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Project name  Completion date  Estimated cost (£ million) 
			 Causeway Programme March 2011 61 
			 Prisoner Record Information System (PRISM): Technical Refresh March 2010 1.3

Saville Inquiry

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, column 886W, on the Saville Inquiry, 
	(1)  which firms have worked for the inquiry; for how many hours they have worked; and whom they have represented;
	(2)  how much each legal firm has received.

Shaun Woodward: I am advised that the expenditure on legal representatives (both Counsel and solicitors' firms) by the Bloody Sunday Inquiry up to the end of December 2008 is:
	
		
			   Payments made (£) 
			  Counsel for the inquiry  
			 Christopher Clarke 4,488,266 
			 Jacob Grierson 394,879 
			 Alan Roxburgh 2,978,989 
			 Cathryn McGahey 2,268,093 
			 Bilal Rawat 2,203,633 
			   
			  Solicitors employed for the taking of witness statements  
			 Eversheds 13,253,720 
			   
			  Senior counsel representing the families  
			 Lord Gifford 803,040 
			 Arthur Harvey 1,326,426 
			 Michael Lavery 678,191 
			 Barry J. McDonald 1,203,275 
			 P. T. McDonald 120,144 
			 Michael Mansfield 743,421 
			 Eilish McDermott 1,405,133 
			 Seamus Treacy 1,008,703 
			 Eoin McGonigal 134,556 
			 Kevin Finegan 551,815 
			   
			  Senior counsel representing NICRA  
			 Sir Louis Blom Cooper 587,746 
			   
			  Junior counsel representing the families  
			 John Coyle 812,614 
			 Fiona Doherty 641,326 
			 Ciaran Harvey 673,951 
			 Richard Harvey 679,869 
			 Brian Kennedy 661,153 
			 Philip Magee 83,175 
			 Kieran Mallon 823,196 
			 Brian McCartney 874,398 
			 Karen Quinlivan 571,548 
			 Patricia Smyth 360,927 
			 Michael Topolski 159,915 
			 Mary McHugh 424,524 
			   
			  Junior counsel representing NICRA  
			 Paddy O'Hanlon 442,732 
			   
			  Solicitors representing the families  
			 Barr and Co. 696,319 
			 Brendan Kearney and Co. 953,451 
			 Desmond Doherty and Co. 1,449,837 
			 MacDermott and McGurk 1,503,840 
			 Madden and Finucane 12,968,409 
			 McCann and McCann 707,652 
			 McCartney and Casey 1,483,283 
			   
			  Solicitor representing NICRA  
			 Francis Keenan 594,328 
			   
			  Legal representatives for other witnesses  
			 Various solicitors and counsel 3,173,210 
		
	
	I am advised that payments made by the Ministry of Defence for legal representation up to the end of December 2008 are:
	
		
			   Payments made (£) 
			  Senior counsel representing HM armed forces  
			 Edwin Glasgow QC 4,065,817 
			 Edmund Lawson QC 942,943 
			 David Lloyd Jones QC 1,095,966 
			 Gerard Elias QC 1,795,752 
			 Peter Clarke QC 958,853 
			 Sir Allan Green QC 1,522,441 
			 Rosamund Horwood-Smart QC 677,874 
			 Sir Sydney Kentridge QC 52,875 
			 Anna Worrall QC 100,457 
			   
			  Senior counsel representing MOD  
			 Ian Burnett QC 231,386 
			 Philip Havers QC 7,138 
			   
			  Junior counsel representing HM armed forces  
			 Alexander Milne 409,121 
			 Bridget Petherbridge 126,197 
			 Huw Davies 361,638 
			 Ian Leist 965,146 
			 Michael Hick 253,895 
			 Gaby Bonham-Carter 277,393 
			 Pamela Morrison 131,378 
			 Kristian Mills 56,929 
			 Nicholas Moss 991,892 
			 Sam Grodzinski 1,877 
			 Stephen Requena 88,161 
			 Alan May 299,009 
			 Andrew Hurst 590,803 
			 David Bradly 1,291,966 
			 Michael Bools 990,071 
			 Nicholas Griffin 1,195,062 
			 Thomas Quinton 426,072 
			  Junior counsel representing the MOD  
			 William Hoskins 49,892 
			 Sacha Ackland 2,776 
			 Jonathan Hough 4,488 
			   
			  Solicitors representing HM armed forces  
			 Devonshires 2,727,581 
			 Kingsley Napley 1,943,586 
			 Payne Hicks Beach 3,789,748 
			 Jacqueline Duff 175,163 
			 Treasury Solicitor 3,915,980 
		
	
	Given the volume of legal representation involved throughout the lifespan of the inquiry, information on hours worked is not readily available, particularly where final settlements were negotiated. A comprehensive and accurate breakdown of the number of hours worked by each legal representative would require a manual trawl of thousands of claims, and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

Saville Inquiry

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, column 886W, on the Saville Inquiry, what the reasons are for increases in expenditure on legal fees.

Shaun Woodward: The figure for expenditure on legal fees provided in my answer of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, column 886W, included payments to lawyers working for the inquiry and to lawyers representing interested parties and witnesses before the inquiry (including those funded by the Ministry of Defence).
	I would expect some further increase in this figure as the final few settlements are reached in respect of fees for work already carried out. The vast majority of such fees have already been settled, but there remain a small number to be resolved. There will also be a continuing need for some legal work, particularly by lawyers working for the inquiry on preparation of its report.

Saville Inquiry

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the Answer of 18 November 2008,  Official Report, column 261W, on the Saville Inquiry, what the basis is for the estimate that the final cost of the inquiry will be £191 million.

Shaun Woodward: The estimate provided in my answer of 18 November 2008,  Official Report, column 261W, that the final cost of the inquiry would be approximately £191 million was based on the inquiry's own estimate of the remaining costs (including an estimate provided by the Ministry of Defence for the remaining costs falling to that Department). That estimate has now been reduced to approximately £190 million.

Saville Inquiry

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the answer of 18 November 2008,  Official Report, column 261W, on the Saville Inquiry, what the reasons are for the differences between the estimated final cost of the Inquiry and the original estimated cost.

Shaun Woodward: In a statement to this House on 29 January 1998, the then Prime Minister set out his intention to establish the inquiry into Bloody Sunday and said:
	"It is not possible to say now exactly how long the Inquiry will take but it should be allowed the time necessary to cover all the evidence now available thoroughly and completely."
	At this early stage, there was limited information on which to base projections of the likely total cost. The inquiry initially anticipated that its work would last about two years and £11 million was allocated for this in the Government spending review. However the unprecedented scale of the inquiry was not predicted, in terms of number of witnesses identified and available to give oral evidence, the number of legal challenges, and the ensuing increase in legal costs.
	At this late stage in the inquiry's lifespan, future spend is for the most part limited to running costs and the final total is therefore easier to predict with more certainty.

Saville Inquiry

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the answers of 17 November 2008,  Official Report, column 3W and 18 November 2008,  Official Report, column 261W, on the Saville Inquiry, what the evidential basis is for the statements that  (a) the final cost of the Inquiry will not exceed £191 million and  (b) the Inquiry's final report will be delivered by autumn 2009.

Shaun Woodward: The estimate of £191 million provided in my answer of 18 November 2008,  Official Report, column 261W, for final cost of the inquiry was based on the inquiry's own estimate of its remaining costs and an estimate provided by the Ministry of Defence for the remaining costs falling to that Department. That estimate has now reduced to approximately £190 million.
	Lord Saville notified me in a letter dated 4 November 2008 that he expected to deliver the report in autumn 2009.

Rashid Rauf

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any official in his Department was given notice by any representative of  (a) the Pakistan government and  (b) the US administration of the US air strike on the village of Ali Khel on or before 22 November 2008.

Bill Rammell: It is the long-standing policy of the Government not to comment on operational intelligence matters.

Rashid Rauf

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he was first informed of the suspected death of Mr. Rashid Rauf following the US air strike on the village of Ali Khel on 22 November 2008.

Bill Rammell: We first learned of his suspected death from media reporting coming out of Pakistan.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to reply to the letter to him dated 3 November 2008 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. D.J. Fraser.

Joan Ruddock: I apologise for the delay in responding. This was due to departmental reorganisation. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change replied on 20 January.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to reply to the letter of 27 October 2008 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on Mrs. Doreen Henley, transferred to him by the Prime Minister.

Joan Ruddock: I apologise for the delay in responding. This was due to departmental reorganisation. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (Edward Miliband) replied on 28 January.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to reply to the letter of 3 November 2008 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mr D J Fraser.

Joan Ruddock: I replied to my right hon. Friend on 17 January. My officials have been in contact with my right hon. Friend's office which has confirmed the response has been received.

Warm Homes Act 2000

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of paragraphs 34 and 35 of the adjudication of the High Court on 17 October 2008 in respect of a case brought by Help the Aged and Friends of the Earth on enforcements of the Warm Homes Act 2000, in terms of the duty placed upon the responsible Secretary of State under section 3 of the Act.

Joan Ruddock: Paragraphs 34 and 35 of the judgment refer to section 3 of the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000. Provisions like that section are commonly included in Bills, and therefore in Acts of Parliament, without any intention that they should have a substantive legal effect. The explanation for their inclusion relates to the procedure of the House of Commons where a provision of a Bill introduced in that House may give rise to public expenditure. This is not a matter that is specific to the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000, but raises wider issues relating to parliamentary procedure and Bill drafting practice generally. The Government are considering those issues in the light of the judgment.

Equitable Life

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what timetable he has agreed with Sir John Chadwick for presentation of  (a) an interim report and  (b) a final report of his investigation into the scope of compensation for Equitable Life policy holders; when he expects the first payments to policy holders to be made; and if he will make a statement.

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the statement of 15 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 377-80, on Equitable Life, what timetable he has set for Sir John Chadwick to provide his advice to his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Government have asked Sir John Chadwick to advise as quickly as he is able, including providing interim updates.

Valuation Office: Electronic Equipment

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Weybridge of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1889W, on departmental electronic equipment, to what use the Valuation Office Agency has put the  (a) flat screen televisions and  (b) stereo equipment it purchased in the years concerned.

Stephen Timms: The information is as follows:
	 (a) 14 flat-screen televisions are used for video-conferencing, one to relay information messages to staff, one to show 24-hour news programmes to visitors, one for PowerPoint and other computer-based presentations in the boardroom and one for development of staff training material.
	 (b) The stereo equipment is used for audio presentations in VOA offices.

Valuation Office: South East

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 6 November 2008,  Official Report, column 682W, on housing: valuation, if he will rank each individual locality reference in each valuation area in the South East according to value significance.

Stephen Timms: A list of locality reference numbers, ranked in order of value significance by valuation area within the Valuation Office Agency's South East Group, has been placed in the Library. The list is based on data extracted between 9 and 10 September 2008.
	Information that identifies the extent and location of each locality, relative to the list of numbers that ranks each individual locality, is commercially confidential.

Driving Under Influence

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many breath tests were taken in each year since 1997; and how many accidents were caused by drunk drivers in each police authority in each of those years.

Alan Campbell: The information requested on breath tests conducted, broken down by police force area for the years 1997 to 2006 (latest available) are provided in the following table.
	Data for 2007 are due to be published in spring 2009.
	The Department for Transport publishes estimates on the number of drink-drive accidents where one or more of the motor vehicle drivers or riders involved were over the legal limit. These estimates are calculated on a national basis. Police force area estimates are not available.
	The estimates are published as an article 3, entitled "Drinking and driving" in "Road Casualties Great Britain - Annual report 2007". Copies of the report have been deposited in the Libraries of the House and is also available at the following web address:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/accidents/casualtiesgbar/roadcasualtiesgreatbritain20071
	
		
			  Screening breath tests by police force area, England and Wales, 1997 to 2006( 1) 
			  Police force area  1997  1998  1 999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Avon and Somerset 16,000 19,700 19,200 15,800 15,400 15,100 24,500 27,300 21,900 15,800 
			 Bedfordshire 6,000 5,300 2,900 3,300 4,200 6,200 6,600 7,800 6,700 3,100 
			 Cambridgeshire 19,100 17,800 13,600 12,800 12,700 13,000 12,300 12,300 12,500 12,500 
			 Cheshire 25,500 23,300 20,500 15,800 13,600 12,200 11,900 20,200 22,000 35,700 
			 Cleveland 31,600 34,200 28,600 18,800 14,100 11,000 8,700 8,100 10,800 11,300 
			 Cumbria 11,200 9,400 7,100 6,100 5,100 4,700 5,500 8,400 13,600 13,800 
			 Derbyshire 34,500 35,700 49,200 52,000 42,100 37,900 32,600 31,000 17,700 16,000 
			 Devon and Cornwall 15,200 15,700 14,700 13,000 13,500 12,600 10,900 10,700 10,400 13,600 
			 Dorset 9,100 10,100 9,200 12,300 10,400 10,400 8,500 6,900 7,900 8,700 
			 Durham 4,300 7,400 12,700 15,300 16,300 9,500 7,600 6,100 7,700 6,900 
			 Essex 28,700 28,400 24,100 27,200 18,900 16,100 15,500 25,300 34,200 28,400 
			 Gloucestershire 9,400 9,300 8,300 8,200 9,600 9,300 8,600 7,100 9,100 10,100 
			 Greater Manchester 35,500 31,200 21,500 27,300 23,900 23,200 20,900 19,900 18,900 18,100 
			 Hampshire 25,000 27,300 31,600 35,200 35,200 35,200 37,500 38,400 38,300 34,800 
			 Hertfordshire 7,400 8,100 7,000 6,000 5,500 4,300 4,000 7,300 11,900 12,700 
			 Humberside 6,500 8,300 8,100 9,400 7,500 8,700 6,500 5,600 5,700 10,000 
			 Kent 9,100 27,500 32,700 32,200 32,200 34,200 24,600 32,000 31,200 31,700 
			 Lancashire 21,300 20,300 19,100 15,500 10,000 10,600 8,000 10,200 13,000 16,400 
			 Leicestershire 10,200 20,200 21,100 18,800 14,900 14,500 12,000 15,800 14,400 10,000 
			 Lincolnshire 20,200 25,900 21,000 12,100 13,600 9,000 12,100 11,300 11,400 10,600 
			 London, City of 3,600 3,300 1,700 1,100 1,100 1,400 1,200 700 1,100 1,600 
			 Merseyside 14,800 18,700 18,600 12,800 7,200 7,000 7,700 5,000 8,000 10,600 
			 Metropolitan Police 137,900 111,400 99,800 93,800 65,100 57,200 56,000 61,500 67,500 65,000 
			 Norfolk 9,200 12,400 11,600 9,100 9,100 5,300 4,000 4,800 10,400 7,800 
			 North Yorkshire 10,500 9,900 8,100 6,700 7,400 7,300 8,300 8,600 9,300 10,100 
			 Northamptonshire 7,100 4,700 5,300 5,800 4,500 3,300 3,100 3,200 5,200 4,300 
			 Northumbria 11,900 12,200 12,500 12,700 12,400 11,800 11,100 9,800 9,300 7,900 
			 Nottinghamshire 11,500 8,900 8,400 8,400 7,700 5,800 7,100 8,200 7,900 7,200 
			 South Yorkshire 14,200 12,600 16,100 19,200 18,000 14,400 12,100 6,500 13,700 10,300 
			 Staffordshire 13,800 15,400 10,100 7,700 4,700 5,300 5,100 13,700 14,300 12,700 
			 Suffolk 12,300 15,600 15,100 9,200 8,600 8,900 11,600 10,600 8,900 9,100 
			 Surrey 11,200 11,400 11,700 12,400 13,300 7,500 8,900 9,500 9,600 8,300 
			 Sussex 26,100 17,400 17,900 20,800 21,800 17,300 17,200 15,200 18,000 18,700 
			 Thames Valley 33,100 34,200 30,300 30,800 26,200 25,300 16,000 15,400 14,600 13,500 
			 Warwickshire 8,700 8,700 8,600 7,100 5,800 5,100 5,800 5,500 4,800 4,500 
			 West Mercia 18,300 19,100 12,300 8,900 9,100 8,200 6,300 8,000 8,800 11,300 
			 West Midlands 22,600 24,100 21,300 16,200 12,200 10,500 11,000 6,600 6,900 6,200 
			 West Yorkshire 23,300 22,900 18,800 18,300 17,200 16,700 14,200 16,900 15,400 18,000 
			 Wiltshire 7,400 7,100 6,800 6,500 5,900 5,900 5,900 7,400 7,200 8,700 
			
			 Dyfed-Powys 8,500 9,200 9,900 7,400 7,000 7,300 6,000 6,700 6,900 7,300 
			 Gwent 12,200 11,200 10,600 10,100 6,400 3,800 2,800 1,600 2,000 1,700 
			 North Wales 13,300 15,200 15,900 15,000 15,100 19,600 17,300 24,200 21,800 19,600 
			 South Wales 23,100 24,900 20,700 17,800 19,300 17,500 16,900 16,700 16,300 17,100 
			 England and Wales(2) 800,300 815,500 764,500 714,800 623,900 570,200 534,300 578,000 607,400 601,600 
			 (1) Following a comparison between the number of positive breath tests reported by each police force in 2006 and the number of court proceedings for drink-driving related offences, it became clear that there was under-reporting in a number of forces. As a result Essex, Humberside, Lancashire, Norfolk, Northumbria, Staffordshire, Dyfed-Powys, Gwent and South Wales court proceedings figures have been substituted for the positive breath test figures. Similar adjustments were also made to various forces data between 1998 and 2005. (2) Figures may not add up to total for England and Wales due to rounding.

Genetics: Databases

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 136-8W, on genetics: databases, how many and what proportion of DNA samples have been removed from the national DNA database and destroyed following a request to do so from the person from whom the DNA was taken in each month since January 2008, broken down by police authority area; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: Between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2008, 272 subject profile records were deleted from the NDNAD under the Exceptional Case Procedure (i.e. following a request to the chief officer of the responsible force from the person concerned). This covers records loaded by England and Wales forces only.
	The following tables show the number of records deleted from the NDNAD under the exceptional case procedure for each month from January 2008 to December 2008, broken down by police force area. The total number of profiles held on the NDNAD for England and Wales forces at the end of 2007 and 2008 is also shown.
	As an estimated 13.3 per cent. of profiles are replicates, the number of individuals on the NDNAD is approximately 13.3 per cent. less than the number of subject profiles. The presence of these replicate profiles on the NDNAD does not impact on the effectiveness and integrity of the database.
	
		
			  2008 
			  Force  January  February  March  April  May  June 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 5 0 0 0 0 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 British Transport 0 0 0 0 2 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Cheshire 0 0 0 1 1 0 
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cleveland 0 0 0 1 0 3 
			 Cumbria 0 0 0 0 0 2 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 0 0 0 4 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Dorset 0 1 0 0 0 2 
			 Durham 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Dyfed Powys 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			 Essex 2 0 1 0 3 0 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Greater Manchester 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Gwent 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hampshire 0 0 0 0 2 2 
			 Hertfordshire 0 7 0 0 0 0 
			 Humberside 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kent 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Lancashire 0 4 0 0 0 0 
			 Leicestershire 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Merseyside 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Metropolitan 0 5 2 2 2 2 
			 Norfolk 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 North Wales 0 0 0 0 0 2 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Northumbria 0 0 0 1 1 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 South Wales 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 South Yorkshire 0 5 0 2 0 0 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			 Suffolk 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Surrey 0 0 2 0 0 1 
			 Sussex 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Thames Valley 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 0 2 0 0 
			 West Mercia 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West Midlands 0 2 0 4 1 2 
			 West Yorkshire 1 2 0 0 1 1 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total number of profiles removed under the exceptional case procedure January to December 2008 6 31 6 16 16 26 
		
	
	
		
			  Force  July  August  September  October  November  December  Total 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 4 5 1 1 0 16 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 British Transport 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 
			 Cambridgeshire 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 
			 Cheshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cleveland 0 1 0 1 0 0 6 
			 Cumbria 0 0 2 1 1 0 6 
			 Derbyshire 1 0 1 1 1 1 9 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 
			 Dorset 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 
			 Durham 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 
			 Dyfed Powys 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 
			 Essex 0 2 3 0 0 0 11 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Greater Manchester 0 2 0 0 3 1 6 
			 Gwent 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 
			 Hampshire 0 0 1 0 0 0 5 
			 Hertfordshire 0 1 0 0 0 0 8 
			 Humberside 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kent 0 0 2 5 4 1 12 
			 Lancashire 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 
			 Leicestershire 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 Merseyside 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Metropolitan 2 9 3 0 2 9 38 
			 Norfolk 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 
			 North Wales 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 
			 North Yorkshire 0 2 2 1 0 1 7 
			 Northamptonshire 1 0 0 0 0 2 4 
			 Northumbria 1 0 0 0 1 0 4 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 South Wales 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			 South Yorkshire 2 4 1 22 9 4 49 
			 Staffordshire 1 0 0 1 0 0 4 
			 Suffolk 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Surrey 0 0 1 2 1 0 7 
			 Sussex 0 2 0 0 1 0 3 
			 Thames Valley 0 1 0 1 1 0 4 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 
			 West Mercia 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 
			 West Midlands 5 1 5 1 2 1 24 
			 West Yorkshire 0 1 1 0 2 0 9 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 
			 Total number of profiles removed under the exceptional case procedure January to December 2008 14 31 29 41 33 23 272 
			 Total number of subject profiles held on the NDNAD as at 31 December 2007   4,617,737 
			 Total number of subject profiles held on the NDNAD as at 31 December 2008   5,129,978

Members: Correspondence

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answers of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 2253W, to questions 226398 and 226400 on entry clearances: biometrics, when she plans to write to the hon. Member for Beaconsfield.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary wrote to the hon. Member for Beaconsfield on 19 January 2009.

UK Border Agency: Correspondence

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects a reply to be sent to the letter of 23 October 2008 to the UK Border Agency on behalf of Rizwan Aslam (Home Office Reference Number A1264393).

Phil Woolas: The UK Border Agency responded to the letter from my right hon. Friend on 27 January 2009.

Care Proceedings

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many applications for care proceedings have been made since 1 November 2008; and how many were made in the equivalent period 12 months earlier.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	The number of public law care and supervision applications under section 31 of the Children Act 1989 in November and December 2008 and November and December 2007 are given in the table. Public law cases are those brought by local authorities or an authorised person (currently only the NSPCC). Figures relate to the number of children that are subject to each application, are for England and Wales, and have been rounded to the nearest 10. Please note that 2008 figures are provisional.
	Comparisons between short time periods (one or two months) as presented in the following table should be made with caution as these figures are subject to more volatility than those covering longer time periods.
	
		
			  Number of Public Law Care and Supervision applications under section 31 of the Children Act 1989—England and Wales; County Courts and Family Proceedings Courts 
			   Family proceedings courts( 1)  County courts( 2)  Total 
			 November and December 2007 1.790 380 2.170 
			 November and December 2008 2,360 390 2,750 
			 (1) There have been data quality issues with figures for Family Proceedings Courts. A new method of collection was introduced in April 2007 which has improved the coverage and completeness of data. (2) Research undertaken on behalf of Ministry of Justice has identified that some cases that have transferred from the Family Proceedings Court to the County Court have been incorrectly recorded as new applications in the County Court thus inflating the reported number of new applications through double counting (see Masson et al 2008).  Source: HMCS FamilyMan and manual returns, as at January 2009

Children in Care: Foster Care

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children in care in each local authority area have had more than  (a) three,  (b) five,  (c) 10,  (d) 20 and  (e) 30 foster placements. [Official Report, 12 February 2009, Vol. 487, c. 18MC.]

Beverley Hughes: Information showing the number of children in care in each local authority that have had more than  (a) three,  (b) five,  (c) 10,  (d) 20 and  (e) 30 foster placements in England during the year ending 31 March 2008 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of looked after children by number of foster placements( 1) , years ending 31 March 2008—Coverage: England 
			  Number of placements 
			   More than 3  More than 5  More than 10  More than 20  More than 30 
			  England 4800 1400 170 30 0 
			 North East 50 40 10 0 0 
			 Darlington 15 0 0 0 0 
			 Durham 10 10 0 0 0 
			 Gateshead 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hartlepool 10 10 0 0 0 
			 Middlesbrough 5 5 o . 0 0 
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Tyneside 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Northumberland 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 0 0 0 0 0 
			 South Tyneside 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Sunderland 10 10 10 0 0 
			   
			  North West 610 140 10 0 0 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 15 0 0 0 0 
			 Blackpool 20 5 0 0 0 
			 Bolton 40 15 0 0 0 
			 Bury 30 5 0 0 0 
			 Cheshire 50 20 0 0 0 
			 Cumbria 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Halton 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Knowsley 25 15 10 0 0 
			 Lancashire 110 10 0 0 0 
			 Liverpool 60 5 0 0 0 
			 Manchester 80 15 0 0 0 
			 Oldham — 0 0 0 0 
			 Rochdale 20 0 0 0 0 
			 Salford — 0 0 0 0 
			 Sefton 10 10 0 0 0 
			 St. Helens 10 0 0 0 0 
			 Stockport 10 5 0 0 0 
			 Tameside 20 10 0 0 0 
			 Trafford 20 0 0 0 0 
			 Warrington 35 5 0 0 0 
			 Wigan 10 0 0 0 0 
			 Wirral 35 15 0 0 0 
			   
			  Yorkshire and the Humber 570 220 30 0 0 
			 Barnsley 45 0 0 0 0 
			 Bradford 45 5 0 0 0 
			 Calderdale 5 5 0 0 0 
			 Doncaster 65 35 0 0 0 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 35 10 0 0 0 
			 Kingston upon Hull, City of 65 20 0 0 0 
			 Kirklees 30 0 0 0 0 
			 Leeds 130 80 30 0 0 
			 North East Lincolnshire 35 35 0 0 0 
			 North Lincolnshire — 0 0 0 0 
			 North Yorkshire 40 5 0 0 0 
			 Rotherham 10 0 0 0 0 
			 Sheffield 15 0 0 0 0 
			 Wakefield 20 5 0 0 0 
			 York 25 15 0 0 0 
			   
			  East Midlands 310 90 0 0 0 
			 Derby 25 0 0 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 55 30 0 0 0 
			 Leicester 10 0 0 0 0 
			 Leicestershire 25 5 0 0 0 
			 Lincolnshire 60 30 0 0 0 
			 Northamptonshire 75 10 0 0 0 
			 Nottingham 20 5 0 0 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 45 5 0 0 0 
			 Rutland 0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			  West Midlands 740 160 30 0 0 
			 Birmingham 180 10 0 0 0 
			 Coventry 30 0 0 0 0 
			 Dudley 35 0 0 0 0 
			 Herefordshire 5 5 0 0 0 
			 Sandwell 20 0 0 0 0 
			 Shropshire 15 10 0 0 0 
			 Solihull 20 0 0 0 0 
			 Staffordshire 125 60 30 0 0 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 35 10 0 0 0 
			 Telford and Wrekin — 0 0 0 0 
			 Walsall 40 5 0 0 0 
			 Warwickshire 140 50 0 0 0 
			 Wolverhampton 35 5 0 0 0 
			 Worcestershire 55 5 0 0 0 
			   
			  East of England 460 70 0 0 0 
			 Bedfordshire 15 0 0 0 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 20 5 0 0 0 
			 Essex 120 15 0 0 0 
			 Hertfordshire 45 0 0 0 0 
			 Luton 40 5 0 0 0 
			 Norfolk 55 0 0 0 0 
			 Peterborough 45 0 0 0 0 
			 Southend-on-Sea 45 25 0 0 0 
			 Suffolk 45 5 0 0 0 
			 Thurrock 25 5 0 0 0 
			   
			  London 800 270 30 0 0 
			 Inner London 350 85 20 0 0 
			 Camden 30 0 0 0 0 
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hackney 20 0 0 0 0 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham — 0 0 0 0 
			 Haringey 25 5 0 0 0 
			 Islington 50 20 0 0 0 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 35 30 20 0 0 
			 Lambeth 35 10 0 0 0 
			 Lewisham 15 0 0 0 0 
			 Newham 70 15 0 0 0 
			 Southwark 20 0 0 0 0 
			 Tower Hamlets 25 0 0 0 0 
			 Wandsworth 15 0 0 0 0 
			 Westminster — 0 0 0 0 
			   
			 Outer London 450 190 10 0 0 
			 Barking and Dagenham 65 40 0 0 0 
			 Barnet 10 0 0 0 0 
			 Bexley 30 10 0 0 0 
			 Brent 60 15 0 0 0 
			 Bromley 10 0 0 0 0 
			 Croydon 30 20 0 0 0 
			 Ealing 10 0 0 0 0 
			 Enfield 20 5 0 0 0 
			 Greenwich 20 5 0 0 0 
			 Harrow — 0 0 0 0 
			 Havering 45 25 0 0 0 
			 Hillingdon 40 25 0 0 0 
			 Hounslow 20 5 0 0 0 
			 Kingston upon Thames 15 15 0 0 0 
			 Merton — 0 0 0 0 
			 Redbridge 10 5 0 0 0 
			 Richmond upon Thames 10 5 0 0 0 
			 Sutton 30 15 15 0 0 
			 Waltham Forest 20 0 0 0 0 
			  South East 790 270 30 0 0 
			 Bracknell Forest — 0 0 0 0 
			 Brighton and Hove 55 20 0 0 0 
			 Buckinghamshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 East Sussex 45 10 0 0 0 
			 Hampshire 205 90 15 0 0 
			 Isle of Wight 25 5 0 0 0 
			 Kent 185 70 15 0 0 
			 Medway Towns 30 0 0 0 0 
			 Milton Keynes 50 30 0 0 0 
			 Oxfordshire 15 10 0 0 0 
			 Portsmouth 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Reading 25 0 0 0 0 
			 Slough 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Southampton 45 30 0 0 0 
			 Surrey 30 0 0 0 0 
			 West Berkshire — 0 0 0 0 
			 West Sussex 45 5 0 0 0 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead — 0 0 0 0 
			 Wokingham 15 0 0 0 0 
			   
			  South West 510 170 30 30 0 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 15 0 0 0 0 
			 Bournemouth — 0 0 0 0 
			 Bristol, City of 85 35 0 0 0 
			 Cornwall 60 30 25 25 0 
			 Devon 25 5 0 0 0 
			 Dorset 25 5 0 0 0 
			 Gloucestershire 50 5 0 0 0 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Somerset 35 15 0 0 0 
			 Plymouth 60 20 0 0 0 
			 Poole 10 5 0 0 0 
			 Somerset 30 10 0 0 0 
			 South Gloucestershire 20 0 0 0 0 
			 Swindon 15 0 0 0 0 
			 Torbay 50 30 0 0 0 
			 Wiltshire 25 0 0 0 0 
			 (1) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short—term placements.  Source: SSDA903

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many childcare settings have closed in each quarter of the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 20 January 2009
	The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number and percentage of child care providers that have opened and closed( 1) : position as at each quarter—England 
			   2003/04  2004/05 
			   Childminders  Full day care  Out of school day care( 2)  Childminders  Full day care  Out of school day care( 2) 
			   Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate 
			  April to June 
			 Opened 4,300 6.3 500 5.2 500 6.0 3,300 4.5 800 7.5 600 6.2 
			 Closed 2,500 3.6 200 2.0 200 2.7 3,000 4.1 300 2.9 400 4.3 
			  
			  July to September 
			 Opened 4,000 5.7 700 7.1 800 9.7 3,600 5.0 900 7.5 900 10.1 
			 Closed 3,800 5.5 300 2.7 400 4.5 4,400 6.1 500 4.7 600 6.6 
			  
			  October to December 
			 Opened 4,000 5.7 500 4.9 500 6.0 3,000 4.1 600 4.7 500 5.6 
			 Closed 2,200 3.1 200 2.1 200 2.0 3,800 5.3 500 3.9 600 6.0 
			  
			  January to March 
			 Opened 4,000 5.5 800 7.4 600 6.4 3,200 4.6 600 4.8 600 6.0 
			 Closed 3,600 5.0 400 3.7 400 4.8 4,000 5.7 400 3.6 600 6.1 
			  
			  Total 
			 Opened 16,300 22.5 2,500 22.6 2,400 25.9 13,100 18.6 2,800 23.3 2,600 27.3 
			 Closed 12,100 16.7 1,100 9.7 1,200 13.0 15,300 21.8 1,800 14.5 2,200 22.6 
		
	
	
		
			   2005/06  2006/07 
			   Childminders  Full day care  Out of school day care( 2)  Childminders  Full day care  Out of school day care( 2) 
			   Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate 
			  April to June 
			 Opened 3,200 4.7 500 4.4 500 5.3 2,700 3.8 500 3.9 500 4.5 
			 Closed 2,500 3.6 300 1.7 300 2.5 2,700 3.8 300 2.4 400 4.0 
			  
			  July to September 
			 Opened 3,100 4.4 700 5.3 800 7.8 3,100 4.3 700 5.1 700 6.5 
			 Closed 3,000 3.8 400 3.6 500 5.2 3,400 4.8 400 3.0 600 5.3 
			  
			  October to December 
			 Opened 2,700 3.8 500 4.1 500 4.5 3,000 4.2 500 4.0 500 4.6 
			 Closed 2,300 3.2 300 2.3 300 3.3 2,700 3.8 400 2.7 400 4.1 
			  
			  January to March 
			 Opened 2,900 4.0 600 4.6 500 5.2 2,500 3.5 500 3.3 400 4.0 
			 Closed 2,800 3.8 300 2.6 400 3.7 4,100 5.7 400 3.0 600 5.2 
			  
			  Total 
			 Opened 11,900 16.6 2,300 17.3 2,300 21.6 11,200 16.1 2,200 15.9 2,100 19.7 
			 Closed 10,500 14.7 1,300 10.1 1,500 14.6 12,900 18.5 1,500 10.8 2,000 18.7 
		
	
	
		
			   2007/08 
			   Childminders  Full day care  Out of school day care( 2) 
			   Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate 
			  April to June   
			 Opened 2,400 3.4 400 3.3 500 4.6 
			 Closed 4,000 5.7 400 2.7 400 4.2 
			
			  July to September   
			 Opened 2,700 4.0 600 4.5 700 6.1 
			 Closed 3,600 5.3 500 3.3 500 4.7 
			
			  October to December   
			 Opened 2,100 3.1 500 3.7 400 4.1 
			 Closed 3,700 5.6 400 3.2 500 4.7 
			
			  January to March   
			 Opened 2,200 3.3 600 3.9 400 4.2 
			 Closed 3,300 5.0 400 2.9 500 4.5 
			
			  Total   
			 Opened 9,300 14.5 2,100 15.0 2,000 19.0 
			 Closed 14,600 22.6 1,700 11.8 1,900 18.1 
			 (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 if under 100, and to the nearest 100 if over 100. (2) Out of school day care figures may not include services in extended schools as Ofsted data only includes providers that have to register separately.  Source: Ofsted

Children: Day Care

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the oral answer of 26 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 10-11, on child abuse, what steps his Department is taking to encourage parents and others who provide childcare to use non-physical means of modifying a child's behaviour.

Beverley Hughes: Our approach is to provide parents with positive support and guidance to help them manage their children's behaviour more effectively. This includes making parenting classes more widely available to help give parents the confidence to use other, better means of disciplining their children than physical punishment. This approach works with parents and not against them. We are pleased that parents' attitudes towards smacking have been changing over time; this was the finding of the parental survey conducted in 2007 as part of the review of section 58 of the Children Act 2004.
	Physical punishment is banned in schools and in registered childcare settings, including daycare and childminding. It is also banned in children's homes and local authority foster care.

Children: Internet

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what steps his Department has taken to encourage internet service providers to practise greater self-regulation in the area of pro-anorexia or pro-bulimia websites;
	(2)  what recent steps his Department has taken to promote awareness among parents of the dangers of pro-anorexia and pro-bulimia websites;
	(3)  what recent meetings his Department has had with internet service providers regarding websites which are pro-anorexia or pro-bulimia.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: holding answer 12 January 2009
	We take the issue of safety on the internet very seriously. That is why we asked Dr. Tanya Byron to lead an independent review on potential risks online and in video games—and we have fully accepted all her recommendations, including those on the needs for vulnerable groups. These include:
	encouraging content hosts and search providers work with the relevant charities to make sure that advertisements with links to support services are displayed whenever users discuss or search for information about harmful behaviours;
	encouraging content hosts to work with charities to improve moderation practices around discussions about harmful behaviours; and
	targeted communications to raise awareness of internet content issues amongst those who work with vulnerable children and young people.
	The UK Council for Child Internet Safety, a multi stakeholder forum was launched in September 2008 to implement the Byron recommendations. Its work will lead to the publication of a Child Internet Safety Strategy later this year that will contain specific measures to make the internet a safer place.
	We are also working with the Department of Health to implement the recommendations of the report of the independent review of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, 'Children and Young People in Mind', published on 18 November. We have set up a National Advisory Council for children's mental health and psychological wellbeing to advise us on implementing the recommendations of the independent review of CAMHS final report and hold us to account on progress. Better access to specialist services for children, young people and families is a priority area for the implementation of the CAMHS review's recommendations.
	In addition, the Department of Health announced in October 2008 a £170 million expansion of psychological therapies to provide better support for people with common mental health problems such as eating disorders.

GCE A-level: Disadvantaged

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of free school meals pupils were entered for A levels in 2008.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The available information on pupils entered for GCE/VCE A/AS-level identified by eligibility for free school meals is contained within table 13 in the "Attainment by Pupil Characteristics, in England 2007/08" SFR published in November 2008.
	This shows that the number of pupils aged 16-18 in maintained schools who were entered for GCE/VCE A/AS-levels in 2008 was 147,394. Of these, 5,049 pupils were eligible for free school meals, a proportion of 3.4 per cent. A further 0.6 per cent. were unclassified.
	These figures do not cover pupils in sixth form colleges.

Information and Communications Technology

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what progress has been made towards the targets for e-inclusion set by the Riga Ministerial Declaration in June 2006.

Paul Murphy: I have been asked to reply.
	The Riga Declaration set the target that, to convincingly address e-Inclusion, the differences in Internet usage between current average use by the EU population and use by older people, people with disabilities, women, lower education groups, unemployed and "less-developed" regions should be
	reduced to a half, from 2005 to 2010.
	The European Commission is monitoring progress against the targets for all EU member states, publishing the first baseline analysis based on 2006 data 'Measuring progress in e-lnclusion—Riga Dashboard' in 2007 which can be found on the internet at
	http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/einclusion/docs/i2010_initiative/rigadashboard.doc
	Member states are due to make their first progress report to the European Commissions High Level adhoc e-Inclusion Group by summer 2009.
	The following table from recently published independent UK research as a proxy suggests progress in the UK on inclusion as follows:
	
		
			  Proxy data based in Oxford Internet Institute surveys 
			  Percentage 
			  Some of the Riga Target Groups  Regular internet use 2005  Regular internet use 2007 
			 Average use - Population 60 67 
			 aged 55-64 53 58 
			 aged 65-74 31 37 
			 Women 57 65 
			 Rural 60 66 
			 Unemployed 46 48 
			 Inactive (retired) 30 31

Languages: Teachers

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many teachers with a language specialism in Mandarin Chinese qualified in the last 12 month period for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: Data relating to the language specialisms of Initial Teacher Training (ITT) trainees is not collected centrally.
	In 2006/07 there were three postgraduate ITT trainees who had an undergraduate degree in Chinese Studies.
	There are currently no ITT courses which specialise in Mandarin only.

Pupil Exclusions: Primary Education

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children between the ages of four and 11 years were  (a) suspended and  (b) suspended more than once from school in (i) West Chelmsford constituency, (ii) Essex and (iii) England in each of the last five years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: holding answer 22 January2009
	Information on fixed period exclusions was collected for the first time in the school year 2003/04. However this data is not sufficiently reliable to provide the requested information.
	In 2005-06 the method of data collection changed and information was collected from secondary schools only. We have consequently provided information for the school years 2004/05 and 2006/07, the only years for which comparable figures are available.
	
		
			  Primary, secondary and special schools( 1, 2, 3, ) pupils aged four to 11 receiving fixed period exclusions( 4)  2006/07 
			   Number of pupils with one episode of fixed period exclusion  As a percentage of the school population( 5)  Number of pupils with two or more episodes of fixed period exclusion  As a percentage of the school population( 6) 
			 West Chelmsford 50 0.57 50 0.48 
			 Essex 820 0.68 560 0.47 
			 England 29,410 0.66 18,690 0.42 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes CTCs and academies. (3) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools, excludes general hospital schools. (4) Pupils aged as at 31 August 2006. (5) The number of pupils with a fixed period exclusions expressed as a percentage of the headcount of pupils in January 2007, excluding dual registrations. (6) The number of pupils with two or more fixed period exclusions expressed as a percentage of the headcount of pupils in January 2007, excluding dual registrations.  Source: School census 
		
	
	
		
			  Primary, secondary and special schools( 1, 2 ) pupils aged four to 11 receiving fixed period exclusions( 3 ) 2004/05 
			   Number of pupils with one episode of fixed period exclusion  As a percentage of the school population( 4)  Number of pupils with two or more episodes of fixed period exclusion  As a percentage of the school population( 5) 
			 West Chelmsford 44 0.52 32 0.38 
			 Essex 846 0.77 502 0.46 
			 England 29,815 0.74 17,875 0.44 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes maintained primary, secondary and special schools. (3) Pupils aged as at 31 August 2004. (4) The number of pupils with a fixed period exclusions expressed as a percentage of the headcount of pupils in January 2005, excluding dual registrations. (5) The number of pupils with two or more fixed period exclusions expressed as a percentage of the headcount of pupils in January 2005, excluding dual registrations.  Source: Termly Exclusions survey

Special Educational Needs: Tribunals

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on the provision of information to parents about changes to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal system.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Officials at the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Tribunals Service at the Ministry of Justice have had discussions throughout the process of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST) becoming part of the Health, Education and Social Care Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal. On 8 December 2008 the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families held a meeting with the hon. Member for Twickenham and a parents' group at which an official from the Tribunals Service/Ministry of Justice was present. The Department, through the Children, Young People and Families Grant programme, is funding the Independent Panel for Special Education Advice over 2009-10 and 2010-11 to expand the availability of its advice to parents, including advice on the new tribunal system.

Young People: Unemployment

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans his Department has to prevent 17 to 19 year-olds becoming unemployed during the current economic downturn.

Jim Knight: The current economic situation means that it is imperative to ensure young people gain the skills and qualifications they need to succeed in employment.
	Local Connexions services have a key role in supporting all young people aged 13-19. They rigorously track young people's activities so that they can provide targeted support to those young people who are in danger of becoming unemployed and those not currently in education, employment or training. They also provide tailored information, advice and guidance, supporting these young people to reengage in learning or work as early as possible.
	In 2008, we extended the September Guarantee to 17-year-olds for the first time. The guarantee aims to provide all 17-year-olds with a suitable offer of a place in learning by the end of September. Almost 80 per cent. of those young people who had been engaged on a short course, or who were NEET, received an offer under the guarantee last year. The guarantee will help to ensure that all young people aged 17 have a suitable learning place by the end of September and prevent them from becoming unemployed.
	Funding for apprenticeships across all ages is planned to increase by almost a quarter between 2007-08 and 2010-11, to over £1.1 billion. In addition we have recently announced our intention to invest an extra £140 million to deliver an additional 35,000 apprentices in both the public and private sectors in order to strengthen the country's competitiveness and match young people's demand. We have also introduced a number of flexibilities to help apprentices who face redundancy. As part of this work apprentices who are made redundant within the final six months of their apprenticeship will now be able to finish their training and gain a qualification.
	We have been working closely with colleagues in the Department for Work and Pensions to increase the level of support available to 18-year-olds who are unemployed. From April 2009, 18-year-old jobseekers who have spent a 26 week period NEET will receive mandatory early entry to intensive jobsearch support to enable them to enter sustainable employment faster. This system has been in place on a voluntary basis since April 2008.

Birds: Nature Conservation

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department plans to take during the 2009 breeding season to monitor the effects on wild birds of the recent changes to Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and the Statutory Nature Conservation Agencies support a range of bird surveillance and monitoring schemes in the United Kingdom, usually in partnership with specialist non-government organisations. Surveillance schemes may include annual or periodic assessment of population size and distribution, and allow trends in both to be derived. Schemes are tailored to provide comprehensive coverage of common and rare species in both breeding and non-breeding seasons.
	In addition to the monitoring of wild birds, Animal Health's Wildlife and Registration Service, who are the regulatory authority for bird registration, has a compliance monitoring plan in place to reduce the potential for criminality relating to the bird registration scheme. The Animal Health team work closely with the National Wildlife Unit and other UK Law Enforcement Agencies and have a jointly agreed set of national priorities which they work to. Any future change in priorities with regard to bird of prey issues, including taking from the wild and persecution, would be considered and work aligned to this. This will enable more consistency and coordination between Animal Health and enforcement agencies.

Bluetongue Disease: Vaccination

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of vaccinations against bluetongue disease among  (a) sheep and  (b) cattle.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 26 January 2009
	Responsibility for licensing veterinary medicines in the UK, including Bluetongue vaccine, rests with the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD). In licensing a product, the VMD assesses data on safety, quality and efficacy on all species for which the vaccine is intended (in this case cattle and sheep), and establishes whether the advantages and efficacy of the product outweigh any risks in deciding whether to issue a Marketing Authorisation. Once a product has been marketed the VMD monitors its safety and efficacy through reports of suspected adverse reactions, and through on-going data requirements from the authorisation holder.
	Sales data from the supply chain suggests enough vaccine was sold in 2008 in the South and East of England, where Bluetongue serotype 8 was circulating in 2007, to vaccinate over 90 per cent. of the susceptible animal population. Experts at the Institute for Animal Health advise that this level of vaccination in previously affected counties was effective in controlling BTV-8 and its possible spread to the rest, of the country. No circulating disease was detected in 2008.

Civil Proceedings

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1594W, on civil proceedings, how many of the proceedings naming his Department as a defending party which are currently  (a) under appeal and  (b) ongoing or unresolved relate to the review of a Ministerial decision; and what the (i) title of claim, (ii) grounds for claim and (iii) value of claim is in each such case.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The number of such cases under appeal and ongoing or unresolved that relate to the political review of a ministerial decision is 25. These are:
	R (on the application of Partridge Farms Limited)  v. Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in which the judgment of the High Court on 14 July 2008 is being appealed by the Secretary of State to the Court of Appeal. The claimant's ground of challenge is that the Cattle Compensation (England) Order 2006 is in breach of the EC law principle of equality of treatment. The claim is for a judicial review and damages are not sought.
	There are 21 cases involving a similar challenge that have been stayed pending the determination of the appeal in Partridge Farms Limited. The claims are for judicial review and damages are not sought. The titles of the claims are:
	R (On the application of CMJ and PL Hurd T/A Heywood and Hurd)  v. Secretary of State for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	R (On the application of Edward, John and James Seaton T/A Seatons Farms)  v. Secretary of State for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	R (On the application of Peter Eardley)  v. Secretary of State for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	R (On the application of Longden Manor Farms)  v. Secretary of State for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	R (On the application of Shaniel Farms Ltd, Mr. D Williams and Mr. A Baird  v. Secretary of State for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	R (On the application of JA and EG Yewdall and Son)  v. Secretary of State for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	R (On the application of MD McMillan)  v. Secretary of State for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	R (On the application of DC Dennis and Sons)  v. Secretary of State for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	R (On the application of RJ Down and Mrs. CA Down)  v. Secretary of State for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	R (On the application of J and P Prideaux)  v. Secretary of State for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	R (On the application of Walter Maidment Limited)  v. Secretary of State for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	R (On the application of DC Dennis and Sons)  v. Secretary of State for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	R (On the application of RD and Mrs. JL Youngman T/A Coleford Farming Company)  v. Secretary of State for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	R (On the application of Higher Burrow Organic Farming Partnership )  v. Secretary of State for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	R (On the application of Mr. RK Siddorn T/A AJH and RK Siddorn)  v. Secretary of State for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	R (On the application of WGA Hunkin and Son)  v. Secretary of State for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	R (On the application of Patrick George Saunders and Miles T/A PG Saunders)  v. Secretary of State for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	R (On the application of EJ and WJ Griggs and Sons)  v. Secretary of State for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	R (On the application of Robert, Thomas, Elizabeth, Julie and Wendy Pocock T/A T E Pocock and Co.)  v. Secretary of State for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	R (On the application of Ivor, Doreen, Martyn, Linda and Mark Hussell T/A Messrs. Hussell)  v. Secretary of State for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	R (On the application of JWR and Hiscock T/A Springwood Farms Ltd)  v. Secretary of State for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	Friends of the Earth and Help the Aged  v. Secretary of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in which the judgments of the High Court on 6 and 23 October 2008 are being appealed by the claimants to the Court of Appeal. The claimants' ground of challenge is that the Government are not complying with the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 in respect of fuel poverty. The claim is for judicial review and damages are not sought.
	Georgina Downs  v. Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in which the judgment of the High Court on 14 November 2008 is being appealed by the Secretary of State to the Court of Appeal. The claimant's ground of challenge is that the obligations of EC Directive (91/414/EEC) were not complied with in that the UK regime does not provide for the necessary protection for the health of those who live near crop spraying operations. The claim is for judicial review and damages are not sought.
	Richard Currell  v. Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and another, an application for permission for judicial review of a decision by the Secretary of State to uphold on appeal stop notices issued by Natural England under the Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) (England) No. 2 Regulations 2006 in respect of the use of land. The claim is for judicial review and damages are not sought.

Departmental Legal Costs

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what costs were incurred by his Department in  (a) legal fees,  (b) court costs and  (c) expert witness fees in the defence of the claim by Ruttle Plant Hire Limited up to the judgment of 29 September 2004.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The information requested is  (a) £1,131,179.55,  (b) £175,  (c) £11,241.89 respectively.

Dogs: Animal Welfare

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases of illegal tail-docking prosecuted since April 2007 have resulted in a conviction.

Jane Kennedy: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts under the Animal Welfare Act for the offence "Removing or causing or permitting or failing to prevent removal of dog's tail other than for medical treatment" in England and Wales in 2007 are as follows:
	
		
			  2007 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			 Total 3 3 
			  Source: Office for Criminal Justice reform - Evidence and Analysis Unit 
		
	
	These data are provided on the principle offence basis.
	Court proceedings data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.

Floods

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 29-30W, on floods, whether the Environment Agency's new flood vulnerability database is accessible to the public.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency's Receptors Vulnerable to Flooding database is not accessible to the public. The database contains information which is sensitive and as such is classified as 'Restricted' under the Government's protective marking scheme. Some of the information is also owned by third parties.

Forestry: Accidents

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many accidents involving members of the public foraging for wood from forests under the regulation of the Forestry Commission have been recorded in the last 36 months.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Forestry Commission in England records and investigates all serious accidents on the public forest estate that are reported to them by members of the public. There have been a number of accidents as a result of slips and trips and these are given in the following table. None of theses are recorded as having been in connection with the collection of firewood.
	
		
			  Slip/trip a ccidents 
			   Number 
			 2005-06 16 
			 2006-07 14 
			 2007-08 7

Genetically Modified Organisms: Animal Feed

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2008,  Official Report, column 804W, on genetically-modified organisms, what information he has received concerning animal deaths in connection with the consumption of the foliage of genetically-modified Bt cotton plants  (a) in the UK and  (b) elsewhere; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA officials have read a number of published articles about the claim that animal deaths in India have arisen from the consumption of GM cotton plants, as part of its general monitoring of GM crop-related issues.

Horses

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2009,  Official Report, column 886W, on horse passports, what his latest estimate is of the number of equidae in England; and what assessment he has made of the efficacy of horse passports against the objectives set for the scheme.

Jane Kennedy: There is no figure available for the number of equidae in England. However, estimates of the horse population in Great Britain range from 1.0 to 1.35 million. Horse passports are an EU requirement introduced to prevent contaminated meat from entering the human food chain. Passports are also intended to reduce fraud and aid disease control and surveillance. The Meat Hygiene Service play an important role in ensuring that the horse is correctly identified and its passport is in order before horses are accepted for slaughter for human consumption. Samples are taken from a small number of horses entering the food chain as part of the UK statutory surveillance programme checking the appropriate use of veterinary medicinal products. In cases of non-compliance the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, which operates this programme, requires an investigation to be carried out which involves checking the details on the passport of the animal.

Incinerators: Hazardous Substances

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 14 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1052W, on incinerators: hazardous substances, which regional offices of the Environment Agency hold reports on the composition of the bottom ash of incinerators; and to which operating incinerators such reports relate.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 28 January 2009
	The following table shows the Environment Agency offices that hold public registers for the municipal solid waste incinerators, including the two main hazardous waste incinerators, operating in England and Wales.
	
		
			  Environment Agency office  Incinerators covered 
			 Upper Severn Area Office, Hafren House, Welshpool Road, Shelton, Shrewsbury SY3 8BB Kidderminster, Dudley, Wolverhampton 
			 Upper Trent Area Office, Sentinel House, Wellington Crescent, Fradley Park, Lichfield WS13 8RR Tyseley Birmingham, Stoke-on-Trent 
			 Lower Severn Area Office, Riversmeet House, Newtown Industrial Estate, Northway Lane, Tewkesbury GL20 8JG Coventry 
			 Lower Trent Area Office, Trentside Office, Scarrington Road, West Bridgeford, Nottingham NG2 5FA Nottingham 
			 Yorkshire and Humber, Office Phoenix House, Global Avenue, Millshaw Lane, Leeds LS11 8PG Sheffield, Huddersfield 
			 Thames South East Area Office, Swift House, Frimley Business Park, Camberley GU16 5SQ SELCHP, Basingstoke (Chineham) 
			 Thames North East Area Office, Apollo Court, Bishops Square Business Park, St. Albans Road West, Hatfield AL10 9EX Edmonton 
			 Solent and South Downs Office, Colvedene Court, Colden Common SO21 1WP Isle of Wight, Fawley (Hazardous), Marchwood, Portsmouth 
			 North West Region, Southern Area Office, Appleton House, 430 Birchwood Boulevard, Warrington WA3 7WD Ellesmere Port (Hazardous), Bolton 
			 Dales Area Office, Coverdale House, Aviator Court, Amy Johnson Way, Clifton Moor YO30 4GZ Billingham 
			 Kent and East Sussex Area Office, Orchard House, Endeavour Park, London Road, Addington, West Mailing ME19 5SH Maidstone (Allington) 
			 Anglian Northern Area Office, Lincoln Office, Waterside House, Waterside North, Lincoln LN2 5HA Grimsby (Newlincs)

Official Cars

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what cars are  (a) owned,  (b) leased,  (c) hired and  (d) otherwise regularly used by his Department, broken down by cubic capacity of engine.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport (Mr. Hoon) on 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 10W.

Pets: Primates

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2008,  Official Report, column 808W, on primates, who he has appointed to  (a) advise on and  (b) draft the code of practice on the private keeping of primates; and which bodies he has consulted.

Jane Kennedy: DEFRA has assembled a working group to draft the code of practice on the private keeping of non-human primates. The working group is representative of and will consult with others who are either private keepers or have other relevant expertise.
	The RSPCA, zoo veterinarians, veterinarian bodies, a leading primate rescue centre and a number of independent experts are involved in taking this work forward.

Rural Enterprise Scheme

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much Government funding was allocated to the in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007 and  (c) 2008.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Rural Enterprise scheme (RES) formed part of the now closed England Rural Development programme 2000-06 (ERDP). RES closed for new applications on 30 June 2006. Funding spent on RES projects in financial years 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 was as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2005-06 30.8 
			 2006-07 29.5 
			 2007-08 7.8 
		
	
	The ERDP was succeeded by the Rural Development programme for England 2007-13 (RDPE). A number of the RDPE socio-economic measures are similar to the activity funded under the Rural Enterprise scheme. These measures are delivered by the Regional Development Agencies and have been available since 1 January 2008. The budget allocated for these measures in 2008-09 is £89.5 million.

Departmental Training

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills with reference to the answer of 25 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1406W, on departmental training, what personal training courses at public expense other Ministers in his Department have undertaken since 1 January 2008.

Si�n Simon: Ministers in the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills have taken the following personal training courses at public expense since 1 January 2008:
	Foreign language lessons;
	Cabinet Committees;
	European Union;
	Media Training.

Economic and Monetary Union

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills with reference to the answer of 15 September 2008,  Official Report, column 2047W, on economic and monetary union, whether the review and update of his Department's euro changeover plan has been completed; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent version.

Si�n Simon: The Department has relied on the Euro changeover plans of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Department for Children, Schools and Families until now. These arrangements will remain in place until 31 March 2010, when the Department will transfer to a new shared service operator.
	As part of the Department's work to establish and agree the delivery of corporate systems with a new shared service operator this issue will be addressed. A copy of the completed document will be placed in the Library when this work is completed.
	The National Weights and Measures Laboratory provided information to the former Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in October 2004 and this formed part of their Euro preparations. A more detailed plan was performed in March 2000 which formed part of HM Treasury Euro changeover plan.
	The UK Intellectual Property Office last updated its Euro conversion plan in September 2004 and it formed part of the former DTI overall plan. The plan has not been published, given the time that has lapsed, while the principles are still relevant the legislation, IT systems and costs referred to are significantly out of date and publication would be of little value.

Higher Education: Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made since December 2008 of incidents of intimidation of Jewish and Israeli students on university campuses; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: This Government deplores acts of racial or religious intolerance and we are committed to tackling anti-Semitism and any form of racial intolerance. Higher education institutions have the primary responsibility for ensuring that their students are not subject to threatening or abusive behaviour on campus and addressing any complaints received. The Department does not collect this type of data.
	We are committed to encouraging higher education institutions to ensure that discrimination has no place in any of their policies or practices and to act swiftly when incidents or complaints are brought to their attention. The Department is setting up a dedicated sub-group to the Cross Government Working Group against anti-Semitism to facilitate discussions between the Jewish community and higher education stakeholders.

Small Businesses

Maria Miller: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many small businesses have ceased trading permanently in each quarter of the last five years.

Kevin Brennan: have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated January 2009:
	As National Statistician, 1 have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many small businesses have ceased trading permanently in each quarter of the last five years (250971).
	Quarterly statistics on businesses that have ceased trading are not available. Annual estimates on births, deaths and survivals of businesses are available from the ONS Business Demography publication. The table below contains the latest annual estimates.
	
		
			   Business deaths  (Thousand) 
			 2003 232 
			 2004 244 
			 2005 228 
			 2006(1) 209 
			 2007(1) 228 
			 (1) The figures for 2006 and 2007 are provisional. 
		
	
	The latest two years are considered provisional to allow for the possibility of closed businesses reactivating.
	For 2007 separate statistics are available for businesses with 0-4, 5-9, 10-19 and 20 or more employment. For the full dataset see:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=15186

Members: Allowances

Jo Swinson: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 542-43W, on Members: allowances, 
	(1)  what timetable was given to the contractor brought in to assist with the process of publishing the details of hon. Members' expenses; and whether there are penalties in the contract for any delays that occur;
	(2)  when the process of scanning and redacting receipts for hon. Members' expenses will be completed and passed to hon. Members for checking.

Nick Harvey: The process of scanning and redacting claims, receipts etc has been undertaken in two stages. The first stage included the scanning of all relevant documentation and the initial editing and was concluded in October 2008 within agreed deadlines. The second stage has involved further editing to take account of privacy and security concerns apparent on completion of stage 1. This work is currently in hand and will be completed in March within agreed time frames. There have been no delays in the fulfilment of the contract. On completion of the scanning and editing work, hon. Members will need to check the records relating to them, and further editing may then be required. A date for sending out this information has not yet been set, but Members will receive advance notification of what they will need to do and how to raise matters of concern.

Ambulance Services: Standards

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has any plans  (a) to assess and  (b) publish the performance of ambulance trusts at district-by-district level; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Emergency ambulance response time data is collected centrally by the Department of Health at ambulance trust level. The Department currently has no plans to change the level at which this data is collected. It is a matter for the local national health service to ensure there is appropriate provision of emergency services that are responsive to people's needs.

Asthma: Greater London

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the rates of asthma in  (a) children aged four years and under,  (b) children aged five to 14 years and  (c) adults in each London borough per 1,000 population; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: holding answer 2 February 2009
	Data are not collected in the format requested. Data are collected on the number of people in each practice on the asthma disease register by primary care trust (PCT), and by prevalence. The national Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) records the number of people recorded on practice registers; the number of patients on the clinical registers can be used to calculate measures of disease prevalence, expressing the number of patients on each register as a percentage of the number of patients on practices lists. 2007-08 data are contained in 'PCT level QOF tables'. The following table shows the number of people recorded on asthma registers in 2007-08 from the QOF.
	
		
			  Numbers of QOF disease registers and unadjusted prevalence rates by primary care trust 
			  Primary care trust (PCT) name  Sum of asthma register counts  Asthma unadjusted prevalence (percentage) 
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT 7,664 4.2 
			 Barnet Primary Care Trust 16,930 4.6 
			 Bexley Care Trust 11,648 5.2 
			 Brent PCT 15,431 4.4 
			 Bromley PCT 16,503 5.1 
			 Camden Primary Care Trust 9,392 4.3 
			 City and Hackney Primary Care Team 11,321 4.2 
			 Croydon Primary Care Trust 18,005 4.8 
			 Ealing PCT 18,025 5.0 
			 Enfield PCT 13,786 4.7 
			 Greenwich PCT 12,261 4.6 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 8,202 4.3 
			 Haringey PCT 12,516 4.6 
			 Harrow PCT 12,734 5.5 
			 Havering Pet 11,798 4.7 
			 Hillingdon PCT 13,619 5.1 
			 Hounslow PCT 11,396 4.4 
			 Islington Primary Care Trust 11,086 5.4 
			 Kensington and Chelsea PCT 6,168 3.4 
			 Kingston 8,605 4.6 
			 Lambeth PCT 15,822 4.4 
			 Lewisham PCT 14,939 5.1 
			 Newham Primary Care Team 14,939 4.5 
			 Redbridge PCT 12,030 4.6 
			 Richmond and Twickenham 8,249 4.2 
			 Southwark PCT 11,925 4.0 
			 Sutton and Merton PCT 19,777 4.9 
			 Tower Hamlets Primary Care Team 10,846 4.5 
			 Waltham Forest PCT 12,476 4.7 
			 Wandsworth PCT 13,703 4.2 
			 Westminster PCT 8,018 3.4 
			  Notes: 1. QOF is the national Quality and Outcomes Framework, introduced as part of the new General Medical Services contract on 1 April 2004. 2. Participation by practices in the QOF is voluntary, though participation rates are very high, with most Personal Medical Services practices also taking part. 3. The published QOF information was derived from the Quality Management Analysis System (QMAS), a national system developed by NHS Connecting for Health. 4. QMAS uses data from general practices to calculate individual practices' QOF achievement. QMAS is a national IT system developed by NHS Connecting for Health to support the QOF. 5. The system calculates practice achievement against national targets. It gives general practices, PCTs and strategic health authorities (SHAs) objective evidence and feedback on the quality of care delivered to patients. 6. The QMAS captures the number of patients on the various disease registers for each practice. The number of patients on the clinical registers can be used to calculate measures of disease prevalence, expressing the number of patients on each register as a percentage of the number of patients on practices' lists. 7. Unadjusted prevalence = (number on disease register/list size) *100. These are raw data. 8. QOF data are collected annually.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) for April 2007 to March 2008, England QMAS database2007-08 data as at end of June 2008

Heart Diseases: Medical Treatments

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 402-3W, on heart diseases: medical treatments, at which hospitals the treatment is available.

Ann Keen: holding answer 2 February 2009
	The Department does not collect this information centrally.
	We are aware of hospitals in England that have provided this treatment but we do not hold a definitive list. Hospitals include, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital NHS Trust, Royal Brampton and Harefield NHS Trust, London Chest Hospital, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, Leeds General Infirmary (Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust), University Hospitals of Leicester, South Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust and Queen Elizabeth Hospital (University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust).

Hospital Beds

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds are available for  (a) men and  (b) women in (i) maximum security health services and (ii) medium secure mental health facilities; what proportion are occupied; and what the average occupancy in each category was in each of the last three years.

Phil Hope: Data on bed availability in medium secure units is not collected centrally.
	The number of beds currently available in high secure services for men and women are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Beds currently available 
			   Number 
			 Male mental illness and personality disorder 673 
			 Learning disability 48 
			 Female mental illness and personality disorder 50 
			 Dangerous Serious Personality Disorder 108 
		
	
	Data is not held centrally on average occupancy of beds rates in each category for each of the last three years. Data available is contained in the following tables:
	
		
			  Current occupancy rates at 30 September 2008 
			  Percentage 
			 Male mental illness and personality disorder 90.6 
			 Learning disability 89.6 
			 Female mental illness and personality disorder 88 
			 Dangerous Serious Personality Disorder 83.3 
			 Overall occupancy rate 90.4 
			  Note: This excludes patients on trial leave i.e. patients who are staying in medium security as part of their progression plan. 
		
	
	
		
			   Beds  Occupancy rates (percentage 
			 September 2007 790 93.2 
			 September 2006 879 90.2 
			 December 2005 899 92.1

Measles

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in the number of confirmed cases of measles in children aged under 18 years in  (a) London and  (b) England since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department consider that the rise in the number of confirmed cases of measles in children under 18 years of age in both London and the rest of England is a result of a decade of relatively low measles, mumps and rubella vaccination uptake. The potential exposure of a large number of unprotected children to the measles virus, means that there is a real risk of a large measles epidemic.

Armed Forces: Compensation

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2008,  Official Report, column 328W, of the 38 personnel who were very seriously injured in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007 and whose claim for compensation had been registered by 13 November 2008, what the  (a) 10th,  (b) 25th,  (c) 50th,  (d) 75th and  (e) 90th percentiles were for the amount awarded in respect of the claims that were settled by 13 January 2009; and how many of the claims had been determined by 13 January 2009.

Kevan Jones: Unfortunately Defence Analytical Services and Advice are currently unable to provide information on compensation amounts paid out to personnel that were very seriously injured in Afghanistan during 2006 and 2007. However, I will write to the hon. Member when the information is available.
	Of the 38 personnel who were very seriously injured in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007, and whose claim for compensation had been registered by 13 November 2008, all have had their claims determined as at 13 January 2009.

Armed Forces: Compensation

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2008,  Official Report, columns 327-8W, of the 42 personnel who were seriously injured in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007 and whose claim for compensation had been registered by 13 November 2008, what the  (a) 10th,  (b) 25th,  (c) 50th,  (d) 75th and  (e) 90th percentiles were for the amount awarded in respect of the claims that were settled by 13 January 2009; and how many of the claims had been determined by 13 January 2009.

Kevan Jones: Unfortunately Defence Analytical Services and Advice are currently unable to provide information on compensation amounts paid out to personnel that were seriously injured in Afghanistan during 2006 and 2007. However, we will write to the hon. Member when the information is available.
	Of the 42 personnel who were seriously injured in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007, and whose claim for compensation had been registered by 13 November 2008, 40 have had their claims determined as at 13 January 2009.

Cyprus: Military Bases

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how often he has met the Foreign Secretary in the last 12 months to discuss events in the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia.

Bob Ainsworth: In the last 12 months, the Secretary of State for Defence has not met the Foreign Secretary specifically to discuss the sovereign base areas; although they have met regularly, discussing a wide range of topics including exchanges on Cyprus.
	Both MOD and FCO maintain a keen interest in the sovereign base areas, which receive regular visits by Ministers. I visited both Akrotiri and Dhekelia in December 2008; the former Under-Secretary of State (Derek Twigg) visited in May 2008 and the former Secretary of State (Des Browne) visited in April 2007.

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on digital media training courses provided by the Internet Advertising Bureau in 2008; how many such training sessions were held in 2008; and how many staff in his Department attended at least one such training course.

Kevan Jones: Information held centrally by the Ministry of Defence indicates that MOD had no direct contracts with the Internet Advertising Bureau in 2008. Defence agencies, top level budget areas, trading funds, joint headquarters, single service commands and individual military units may have placed locally arranged, low value contracts, with the Internet Advertising Bureau. Details of these are not be held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

EU Rapid Reaction Force

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 39W, on the Small Scale Focused Intervention Force, what the difference in capability between the Small Scale Focused Intervention Force and the Small Scale Contingent Battle Group is.

Bob Ainsworth: The Small Scale Contingent Battle Group can undertake the same range of tasks as the Small Scale Focused Intervention Force that it replaced.
	The unit currently undertaking this role, 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, also provides an enhanced capability for the Small Scale Contingent Battle Group to undertake air assault operations.

EU Rapid Reaction Force

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 20 October 2004,  Official Report, column 712W, on the Helsinki Headline Goal, what the expected maximum percentage is of troops offered by the UK under the Helsinki Headline Goal which will be infantry.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor on 20 October 2004,  Official Report, column 712W, to the Member for Congleton (Ann Winterton).

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 35W, on Iraq: peacekeeping operations, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of co-operation between his Department and the Department for International Development during Operation Telic One.

John Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 February 2009,  Official Report, column 876W.

Legal Opinion

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of external legal services provided to his Department in each of the last five years.

Kevan Jones: Specific data on the expenditure by the MOD on external legal fees in each of the last five years is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Morocco: Joint Exercises

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 13 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1301W, on Morocco: armed forces, for what reason a news article of 24 October 2008 on his Department's website on training and adventure states that a joint exercise had taken place partly in the Atlas Mountains and partly in the Western Sahara.

Bob Ainsworth: The Defence intranet site and the MOD internet site contained an article which reported British forces and the Royal Gibraltar Regiment training in Morocco. More specifically it referred to training in the Western Sahara. This article was ambiguous: all training was conducted within Morocco, including areas in the western Sahara desert, not in Western Sahara. The article has been amended to remove this ambiguity. It remains the case that British armed forces do not conduct military activity in Western Sahara, the status of which has yet to be determined by the UN.

Aviation: Type Approval

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Civil Aviation Authority first received an application for the ELA O-7 gyroplane to be approved for use in UK airspace; what the reasons for the time taken to consider the application are; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The CAA received an application for the validation of the Spanish certification of the ELA 07 gyroplane in April 2006. As part of the certification process the CAA had consulted the Spanish authorities on the differences between the Spanish and UK airworthiness codes for gyroplanes. Significant differences between the codes were identified. As a result, the CAA have been involved in discussions with the Spanish authorities and ELA, the manufacturer, of the gyroplane, with a view to agreeing and approving the modification necessary to meet the UK requirements. The CAA last met with the Spanish authorities and the manufacturer in October 2008. All of the follow up action from that meeting rests with ELA. ELA has requested the CAA not to do any additional work on the validation until ELA and the Spanish authorities have agreed the way forward.

Coaches: Disabled

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to increase the accessibility of national and international coach travel to people with a disability.

Paul Clark: The Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations apply to all buses and coaches with more than 22 passenger seats operating to a published timetable. The Regulations require all buses and comply from the year 2015 to 2017 (depending on the type of bus) and 2020 for coaches used on scheduled services.
	The European Commission have recently made proposals, relating to bus and coach passenger rights. The Department for Transport will be considering this in due course.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Dartford River Crossing DART tags have been issued  (a) in total and  (b) to businesses since 1 November 2008.

Paul Clark: The number of Dart-Tags issued between 1 November 2008 and 26 January 2009 was 25,022, including tags for use in the local resident discount scheme. There are no records on the division of tags between personal and business users.

Departmental ICT

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which ICT projects initiated by his Department were abandoned before completion in each year since 1997; what costs were incurred on each project; who the contractors were; what the date of  (a) commencement and  (b) abandonment was in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The Department for Transport, does not hold centrally collected records on all ICT projects carried out by the central Department and its seven executive agencies. Available information shows that the following ICT projects were abandoned before completion since the Department was formed in 2002.
	
		
			  Project  Start date  End date  Supplier  Cost () 
			  Central DFT 
			 Integration of an Electronic document and records management system June 2003 October 2004 BT 854,000 
			  
			  Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency 
			 Tracking Vehicles Through The Trade (TV3T) June 2005 June 2007 IBM 7,900,000 
			 Electronic Licensing for Fleets (ELF) December 2006 June 2007 IBM 270,000 
			  
			  Highways Agency 
			 Correspondence document management system September 2000 August 2003 Admiral 228,000 
			  
			  Driving Standards Agency 
			 Self Service Kiosks in Practical Test Centres September 2007 March 2008 In-house 0 
			 ADLI phase 4 April 2005 May 2006 Capita 37,000 
		
	
	None of the other four executive agencies had ICT projects abandoned before completion.

Departmental Training

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the answer of 28 October 2008,  Official Report, column 835W, on departmental training, what personal training courses at public expense other Ministers in his Department have undertaken since 1 January 2008.

Geoff Hoon: Other Ministers in the Department for Transport have taken the following training courses at public expense since 1 January 2008: induction and action learning set.

Driving Tests

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people  (a) took and  (b) passed their driving test in (i) Ribble Valley, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) the UK in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 2 February 2009
	There are no driving test centres within the Ribble Valley.
	The number of driving tests conducted by the Driving Standards Agency in Lancashire and where the result was a pass in each of the last five years for car, motorcycle, lorry and bus categories are:
	
		
			   Overall 
			   Conducted  Passed  Percentage pass 
			  Car
			 2007-08 38,149 17,889 46.9 
			 2006-07 40,271 17,987 44.7 
			 2005-06 41,616 18,138 43.6 
			 2004-05 37,768 15,553 41.2 
			 2003-04 31,661 13,300 42.0 
			 
			  Bike
			 2007-08 2,380 1,605 67.4 
			 2006-07 2,115 1,380 65.2 
			 2005-06 2,345 1,448 61.7 
			 2004-05 2,432 1,535 63.1 
			 2003-04 2,502 1,601 64.0 
			 
			  Lorry
			 2007-08 2,060 1,068 51.8 
			 2006-07 2,232 1,156 51.8 
			 2005-06 2,519 1,275 50.6 
			 2004-05 2,415 1,222 50.6 
			 2003-04 2,250 1,197 53.2 
			 
			  Bus
			 2007-08 220 134 60.9 
			 2006-07 230 139 60.4 
			 2005-06 265 141 53.2 
			 2004-05 258 131 50.8 
			 2003-04 314 166 52.9 
		
	
	The Driving Standards Agency is responsible for conducting driving tests within Great Britain. The Driver and Vehicle Agency is responsible for driving tests conducted within Northern Ireland. The number of driving tests taken and passed in Great Britain over the last five years for car, motorcycle, lorry and bus categories are:
	
		
			   Overall 
			   Conducted  Passed  Percentage pass 
			  Car
			 2007-08 1,769,860 783,632 44.3 
			 2006-07 1,789,885 776,329 43.4 
			 2005-06 1,827,381 777,817 42.6 
			 2004-05 1,670,302 707,018 42.3 
			 2003-04 1,399,385 598,347 42.8 
			 
			  Lorry
			 2007-08 70,766 32,779 46.3 
			 2006-07 78,140 36,119 46.2 
			 2005-06 88,815 40,247 45.3 
			 2004-05 79,431 36,935 46.5 
			 2003-04 66,832 32,598 48.8 
			 
			  Bike
			 2007-08 87,962 58,520 66.5 
			 2006-07 77,007 50,112 65.1 
			 2005-06 80,162 51,051 63.7 
			 2004-05 77,897 50,063 64.3 
			 2003-04 83,451 53,789 64.5 
			 
			  Bus
			 2007-08 10,331 5,203 50.4 
			 2006-07 9,922 4,602 46.4 
			 2005-06 11,698 5,210 44.5 
			 2004-05 12,251 5,369 43.8 
			 2003-04 10,083 4,591 45.5 
		
	
	Car driving tests conducted in Northern Ireland are shown in the following table. Data for other categories is unavailable.
	
		
			   Overall 
			   Conducted  Passed  Percentage pass 
			 2007-08 61,298 27,584 45 
			 2006-07 61,173 28,751 47 
			 2005-06 57,264 28,059 49 
			 2004-05 41,547 19,942 48 
			 2003-04 47,022 22,100 47

Heathrow Airport

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the Statement of 15 January 2009,  Official Report, column 358, on transport infrastructure, when he plans to lift the cap of 125,000 on the number of additional flights permitted at Heathrow Airport.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We have made clear that our support for a third runway is subject to an aggregate limit of 605,000 annual movements, to be reviewed in 2020. That review will take account of a number of factors, as set out in the Adding Capacity at HeathrowDecisions following consultation document which can be found on the Department's website. It follows that, until that review, it is not possible to anticipate whether of not the cap might be lifted or the timing of any decision to lift the cap, subject to planning approval.

Heathrow Airport

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what  (a) meetings and  (b) correspondence on Heathrow expansion (i) he, (ii) other Ministers in his Department and (iii) officials in his Department, have had in an official capacity with representatives from (A) BAA, (B) trades unions, (C) airlines using Heathrow, (D) other corporate bodies and (E) residents from communities affected by Heathrow expansion, since 3 October 2008; when each meeting took place; who attended each meeting; and what the subject of each meeting was.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 29 January 2009
	Since October 2008, Ministers and officials have not met BAA, trade unions, airlines using Heathrow, corporate stakeholders or residents around Heathrow to discuss Heathrow airport development issues.
	The Department has received a high number of letters about Heathrow airport from local residents during this period and two from the Chief Executive of BAA. The first one on 28 November 2008 concerned the monitoring of the environmental impacts of expansion of Heathrow airport, the second one, dated 16 January 2009, related to the Secretary of State's decisions on Heathrow which he announced to Parliament on 15 January 2009.

Humber Bridge: Tolls

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much revenue has been generated by tolls on the Humber Bridge in each year since its opening; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The following table sets out the revenue generated by tolls on the Humber Bridge each year since its opening in 1982.
	
		
			  Humber Bridge toll income 
			  Financial year ended  31 March :   
			 1982 3,182,632 
			 1983 4,143,464 
			 1984 4,476,913 
			 1985 4,810,129 
			 1986 5,350,985 
			 1987 6,589,507 
			 1988 7,453,600 
			 1989 8,820,175 
			 1990 9,658,526 
			 1991 10,353,960 
			 1992 10,937,157 
			 1993 11,228,919 
			 1994 11,913,017 
			 1995 12,158,380 
			 1996 12,389,582 
			 1997 12,679,463 
			 1998 14,169,400 
			 1999 16,682,260 
			 2000 - 17,533,710 
			 2001 17,490,660 
			 2002 17,921,980 
			 2003 18,519,810 
			 2004 19,306,480 
			 2005 20,244,280 
			 2006 20,394,690 
			 2007 21,437,750 
			 2008(1) 21,755,730 
			 Total 341,603,159 
			 (1) Subject to audit.

Pedestrian Crossings

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes have been made to the guidance issued by his Department to local highways authorities on the design of pedestrian crossings since 2005.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport have not published any new or updated guidance on pedestrian crossings since 2005.
	Guidance on the design of stand-alone pedestrian crossings (zebras, pelicans and puffins) is given in Local Transport Note (LTN) 1/95: The Assessment of Pedestrian Crossings, and LTN 2/95: The Design of Pedestrian Crossings. These are available free from the DFT website at
	www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/tpm/ltnotes/.
	Guidance on the design of pedestrian facilities at traffic signal junctions is given in Traffic Advisory Leaflet 5/05: Pedestrian Facilities at Signal-Controlled Junctions, published in 2005. This is also available free on the DFT website at:
	www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/tpm/tal/.

Railways: Finance

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding his Department has allocated for new railway infrastructure in each year since 1997 and in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11.

Paul Clark: Network Rail is responsible for investing in the majority of new railway infrastructure in the United Kingdom. The company is funded through a combination of direct grants from Government and track access charges levied on train operators.
	Details of Government expenditure on the railway as a whole, as well as investment in rail by the rail industry are set out in National Rail Trends which is published by the Office of Rail Regulation. Copies of National Rail Trends are available in the Library of the House and on the ORR's website at:
	http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk
	Details of the Government's plans for future investment in the railway years are set out in the White Paper Delivering a Sustainable Railway which was published and announced to Parliament on 24 July 2007. This can be found on the Department for Transport website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/about/strategy/whitepapers/whitepapercm7176/hitepapersustainablerailway1.pdf.

Railways: Standards

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his most recent assessment is of the performance of train operating companies against their targets; and if will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The public performance measure of rail punctuality has risen to 90.8 per cent. in January 2009, up 1.6 per cent.. in only a year. Performance is now at its best since this measure was introduced in 2000-01.
	Train operators' franchise agreements contain minimum performance standards, and actual results compared with these are monitored on a regular basis.

Compulsory Purchase

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for the Vale of Clwyd of 15 December 2008,  Official Report, column 360W, on compulsory purchase, 
	(1)  how many compulsory purchase orders have been submitted for land for traveller sites since 2006, according to the casework management database; and how many have been  (a) upheld and  (b) rejected;
	(2)  how many years' data is held on the casework management database on compulsory purchase orders; and whether it contains data in respect of the whole of England.

Iain Wright: The casework management database contains basic information from 2004-05 about Housing and Planning CPOs for England submitted to Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for confirmation such as the number of cases dealt with, the number opposed or unopposed, the number confirmed or refused and the CPO power used. It holds similar data about CPOs made by regional development agencies and the former English Partnerships. However, the database is not able to identify whether a CPO had been made for the purposes of acquiring land for a travellers' site.

Council Housing: Sales

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many completed Social Homebuy transactions there had been at the latest date for which figures are available.

Iain Wright: Social HomeBuy is a voluntary demand-led scheme introduced in April 2006. The scheme enables tenants of participating local authorities and housing associations to buy a minimum 25 per cent. share up to 100 per cent. in their rented home at a discount. Up to the end of December 2008, over 290 households have taken up this opportunity to access home ownership and stay in their communities, including those tenants who did not previously have an opportunity to purchase their current home.
	Social HomeBuy is one of a suite of options designed to help people to buy a home. Since 1997 the Government have helped more than 110,000 households into home ownership through shared ownership and shared equity schemes, with social tenants having first priority.

Council Housing: Sales

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of households to be assisted under the Rent to Homebuy scheme in each year; and how much funding has been allocated to the scheme in 2008-09.

Iain Wright: Rent to HomeBuy is a demand led scheme aimed at addressing current market conditions. The Government have not set any specific targets for the number of households to be assisted or any limit on the number of homes that will be funded. Our aspiration is to help 75,000 households into low cost home ownership by 2010-11, including through Rent to HomeBuy.

Council Housing: Sales

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been sold under each Homebuy scheme in each month since their commencement.

Iain Wright: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Ludlow (Mr. Dunne) today to PQs 251709, 251710, 251711 and 251712, which provides some of the information requested. Also, in response to the hon. Member's question which was answered on 30 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1270W, tables have been deposited in the Library of the House which show completions by month and location local authority for each HomeBuy scheme in 2006-07 and 2007-08 through the Housing Corporation's Affordable Housing programme.

Departmental Expenditure Limit

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the written ministerial statement of 25 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 52-7WS, on the departmental expenditure limit (2008-09), to what types of data transfer the transfer of 1 million from the local government online programme to the Department for Work and Pensions is related.

Sadiq Khan: The 1 million was transferred from the local government online programme to support the roll-out of the Government Connect Secure Extranet (GCSx), as part of a financial arrangement between CLG and DWP, following the transfer of the Government Connect programme to DWP in April 2008.
	GCSx is intended to provide the technical platform to enable the transfer of secure interactions such as housing and council tax benefit processing between local authorities and central Government Departments.

Departmental Information Officers

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 29 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 1139-40W, on departmental information officers, if she will place in the Library a copy of each of the media summaries produced by her Department from the last week for which copies are available.

Sadiq Khan: The media summaries referred to in the previous answer to the parliamentary question by the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) comprise short, informal notes of relevant press coverage of the day, which are designed for internal departmental purposes and circulated by e-mail only. There are therefore no plans to place copies in the Library.

Departmental Mass Media

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 29 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 1139-40W, on departmental information officers, which external newspaper cutting and broadcast monitoring services her Department subscribes to; and at what cost in the last 12 months.

Sadiq Khan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for South-West Surrey (Mr. Hunt) on 29 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 1140-41W.

Eco-Towns

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire, of 28 October 2008,  Official Report, column 948W, on eco-towns, which Minister took the decision to make the payment to Shelter to fund the document on eco-towns.

Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 20 November 2008,  Official Report, column 760W.

Green Belt

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 25 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 1267-8W, on greenbelt, if she will publish the attached table referred to.

Iain Wright: The following table has been provided.
	
		
			  Land changing to developed use( 1)  within designated 1997 Green Belt, by Region, 1996 to 2003 
			  Hectares 
			  Government  o ffice  r egion  1996  1997  1998  1999( 2)  2000  2001  2002  2003 
			 North East 10 150 20 n/a 50 10 30 50 
			 North West 390 520 440 n/a 270 380 170 340 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 190 500 450 n/a 170 170 310 510 
			 East Midlands 200 100 90 n/a 90 120 40 210 
			 West Midlands 300 140 130 n/a 410 240 220 500 
			 East of England 190 200 250 n/a 320 350 190 490 
			 London 40 100 60 n/a 40 130 50 70 
			 South East 520 460 260 n/a 800 570 220 270 
			 South West 220 70 100 n/a 180 110 60 60 
			 England 2,060 2,230 1,800 n/a 2,330 2,070 1,280 2,500 
			 (1) Includes sites changing from one developed use to another, as well as those changing from undeveloped to developed uses. (2) Estimates from 1999 are considered to be not robust, hence absolute numbers are not provided.  Notes: 1. The data in the table above are based on records received from Ordnance Survey up to June 2007. 2. There is a time-lag between land use change occurring and it being recorded, because some changes can take a few years to be recorded, therefore data are constantly being updated. Please see LUCS Guidance 3.2 for more information. 3. This table shows sites that are within land designated as Green Belt in 1997 irrespective of whether or not the land was designated as Green Belt at the time of change.

Green Belt: Planning Permission

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 29 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1144W, on green belt: planning permission, what the  (a) location,  (b) local authority and  (c) type of development was of each of the 15 planning applications that have been called in and then approved since 2002 which involve green belt development.

Iain Wright: The following table sets out the location, local authority and development type of each of the 15 planning applications that have been called in and approved since 1 April 2002 which involve green belt development. Since the answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles), 29 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1144W, there has been one further such application and details of this are also set out in the table.
	
		
			  Site name  Date of decision  Location  Local authority  Type of development 
			 Fast Eddies 23 December 2003 Walsall Walsall Residential 
			 Arnold Town FC 16 March 2005 Nottingham Nottingham Leisure 
			 Packmoor Club 8 November 2005 Newcastle-under-Lyme Newcastle-under-Lyme Residential 
			 WHS Halo 5 July 2006 Sutton Coldfield Birmingham Industrial 
			 Ryarsh Park West 5 July 2006 West Malling Tonbridge Residential-led mixed use 
			 St. John's School 21 December 2006 Epping Epping Forest New school and residential 
			 Storthes Hall Hospital 11 January 2007 Kirkburton Kirklees Retirement community 
			 Woolley Hall 30 January 2007 Maidenhead Windsor and Maidenhead Residential and commercial 
			 Germany Beck (2 applications) 9 May 2007 York York Residential-led mixed use 
			 Field Lane 23 May 2007 Grimston York University campus 
			 Croftlands Nursing Home 24 July 2007 Kirkburton Kirklees Extension to nursing home 
			 Southend United FC (2 applications) 30 June 2008 Southend Southend on Sea Leisure, hotel and retail 
			 Stoneswood House 6 February 2008 Oldham Oldham Care home 
			  Since October 2008: 
			 Bedfont Trading Estate 7 January 2009 London Hounslow Storage/warehousing

Home Responsibility Payment

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent steps the Government has taken to raise awareness of the home responsibility payment.

Rosie Winterton: I have been asked to reply.
	Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) introduced in 1978, is not a payment but a scheme to protect the future state pension entitlement of parents and other carers who are not in paid employment or who do not earn enough to gain a qualifying year for state pension through national insurance contributions. It works by taking away years of caring responsibilities from the number of qualifying years needed for a full basic state pension. Since 2002, it has also given entitlement to additional state pension in some circumstances.
	Over 99 per cent. of people become eligible for Home Responsibilities Protection automatically through the award of child benefit for a child under 16. Most people who satisfy the conditions for receiving HRP as a carer for a disabled person also satisfy the conditions for carer's allowance as these are very similar. Since recipients of carer's allowance are credited with national insurance contributions, they do not normally need HRP.
	There is publicity about HRP in a variety of leaflets concerning pensions and carers available in Jobcentre Plus offices, from the Pension, Disability and Carers Service and other outlets and on Government websites to alert the remaining carers to the need to make an application. Deficiency Notices issued by HMRC following the end of a tax year in which people have not gained a qualifying year for pension purposes also give advice about HRP and credits. There was an extensive national publicity campaign in early 2006 to make carers aware that they might need to apply for HRP in order to gain additional state pension.
	The Pensions Act 2007 introduced a comprehensive package of reforms to help more carers build better pensions. These include the replacement of HRP with a system of weekly national insurance credits for parents and carers which will build up entitlement to basic and additional state pension and will extend pension protection to persons undertaking lower levels of caring. We are working to ensure that people are aware of the whole package of state pension reforms we will introduce from 2010. We want to reach all those who may be entitled to the new credits whether they have been in contact with the benefit system or not and will continue to work with interested parties to determine how best we deliver it.

Housing: Sales

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 16 December 2008,  Official Report, column 592W, on housing sales, what the terms of reference of the working group on condition information are; and what the group's membership is.

Iain Wright: The membership and terms of reference of the working group are still being finalised. I will place a copy of this information in the House once this work is complete.

Planning Permission

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 29 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1152W, on planning permission, what changes to her Department's policy on call-ins are under consideration for inclusion in the new Direction.

Iain Wright: A consultation on the review of call-in directions was carried out between 7 January 2008 and 31 March 2008. This set out proposals aimed at reducing the number of planning applications automatically referred to Government for consideration of whether they should be 'called in' for ministerial decision by consolidating the existing directions into one new direction, with some changes to reflect current policy, specifically:
	Deleting the requirement to refer cases of over 150 houses;
	Deleting the requirement to refer cases of local authorities developing their own land, or being the applicant for development;
	Deleting the requirement to refer cases which would significantly prejudice the implementation of the development plan's policies and proposals;
	Retaining the requirement to refer applications involving more than 5,000 square metres of gross retail, leisure, office or mixed commercial floor space but only for proposals on sites in edge or out of centre locations and which are not in accordance with an up to date development plan document; and extending this requirement to include some proposals for increases of existing floor space of over 2,500 square metres, where the total would then exceed 5,000 square metres;
	Introducing a new requirement to refer proposals which may have a significant adverse impact on the outstanding universal value and significance of a World Heritage Site or its setting;
	All other requirements remain unchanged.
	Further details of the Government's proposals can be found in the consultation document which is available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/callindirections.
	Copies of the consultation document have been placed in the Library of the House. The Government are in the process of analysing the responses received to the consultation with a view to publishing a new direction in the spring.

Planning Permission: Appeals

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 30 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 1287-8W, on planning permission, what guidance has been given to the Planning Inspectorate on how a planning appeal should be considered if a materially relevant Planning Policy Statement or Planning Policy Guidance note has changed in the period after the original planning application was considered by the local planning authority, with particular reference to whether the previous Planning Policy Statement or Guidance or the new version should be applied when assessing the merits of the appeal; and whether the same principles will apply to national policy statements which are revised.

Iain Wright: No such guidance has been issued.
	In relation to an appeal under section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, the Secretary of State has a power under Section 79(1) of the same Act to deal with an application as if it had been made to her in the first instance, which means that she can take account of any new policy which has come into force since the local planning authority made its decision. An appeal will be determined on the basis of policy which exists at the time the appeal is being determined.

Planning Permission: Caravan Sites

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many  (a) successful and  (b) unsuccessful appeals against refusal of planning permission for unauthorised traveller sites were considered by (i) the Secretary of State and (ii) the Planning Inspectorate in each year since 1997;
	(2)  with reference to the answer to Lord Avebury of 25 November 2008,  Official Report,  House of Lords, column WA284, on Gypsies and Travellers, how many appeals against refusal of planning permission for authorised traveller sites  (a) she and  (b) the Planning Inspectorate considered in each year since 1997 for which figures are available; and how many were (i) refused and (ii) upheld.

Iain Wright: Information in relation to planning appeals against refusal of planning permission for authorised or unauthorised traveller sites is not held centrally and could only be collated at disproportionate cost.
	Data is available on numbers of planning appeals determined by the Secretary of State and the Inspectorate relating to both Gypsies and Travellers with effect from 2002 to 2008 and their outcome. This is shown in calendar years in the following table. Detailed data on Gypsies and Travellers is only available from 2002 with data for Secretary of State appeals only available from 1 April 2002.
	
		
			   Secretary of State  Planning Inspectorate 
			  Planning Appeals  Appeal upheld (Allowed)  Appeal refused (Dismissed )  Total  Appeal upheld (Allowed)  Appeal refused (Dismissed )  Total 
			 2002 2 2 4 12 36 48 
			 2003 11 38 49 25 31 56 
			 2004 2 42 44 33 44 77 
			 2005 4 35 39 43 65 108 
			 2006 3 11 14 71 26 97 
			 2007 2 8 10 81 36 117 
			 2008 0 4 4 53 44 97 
			 Total 24 140 164 318 282 600

Planning: Terrorism

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 1 February 2008,  Official Report, column 696W, on planning, what guidance her Department has published on planning policy and counter-terrorism.

Iain Wright: Communities and Local Government has not yet published any guidance on planning policy and counter-terrorism. However, we are developing joint guidance in partnership with the Home Office and working with other key stakeholders to produce a supplement to the existing guidance Safer Places: The Planning System and Crime Prevention, which will cover counter-terrorism issues. We expect to publish this document for public consultation later this year.

Regional Planning and Development: Yorkshire and the Humber

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities in Yorkshire  (a) have and  (b) have not received funding from Growth Area Fund programmes; and how much each local authority has received in each wave of the programme.

Iain Wright: There are two Growth Points in Yorkshire that are eligible to receive funding from the Growth Fund:
	The Doncaster and South Yorkshire Growth Point includes the authorities of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield. They have been allocated 250,000 in 2008-09, 3,784,791 in 2009-10 and 5,933,131 in 2010-11.
	The Leeds City Region Growth Point includes the authorities of Barnsley, Calderdale and Wakefield. They have been allocated 200,000 in 2008-09, 2,476,060 in 2009-10 and 3,881,723 in 2010-11. The authority partnership is co-ordinated by Leeds as the convener of the Leeds City Region.
	Barnsley is represented in both Growth Points as 50 per cent. of the proposed growth will lie in each area.
	As funding from the Growth Fund is unringfenced, it is paid to the Growth Point's nominated lead authority for the payment of grant. It is for the Growth Point authorities to prioritise how the funding is divided at the local level.
	East Riding, Kingston upon Hull, Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough, Selby, York, Bradford and Kirklees are not part of a Growth Point and so not eligible for this funding.

Stamp Duties

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 1 May 2008,  Official Report columns 632-3W on stamp duties, how many of the 200 planned zero-carbon homes near Bristol have been built; and how many qualified for zero per cent. stamp duty on zero-carbon homes.

Iain Wright: The site at Hanham Hall near Bristol is the first to be developed under the carbon challenge which the Homes and Communities Agency is delivering on behalf of Communities and Local Government. A planning application to build 195 homes at this site was submitted to the local planning authority in December 2008. Subject to consent being granted we anticipate that construction will start on the site before the end of this year with the first homes being completed in 2010.
	The brief for the carbon challenge requires that the new homes must achieve level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes. In keeping with the brief, Barratt Developments Plc, the preferred bidders for the Hanham Hall site, have designed the homes to meet the requirements of the definition of net zero carbon in the Code for Sustainable Homes. We therefore envisage that all 195 homes will qualify for stamp duty tax relief in due course.

Zero Carbon Delivery Unit

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Beckenham of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 369W, on Zero Carbon Delivery Unit, if she will place in the Library a copy of the business plan for the zero-carbon hub.

Iain Wright: The Department expects to receive a copy of the final business plan soon and will arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library when it is received.

Prison Places

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many new prison places he plans to provide by 31 December 2009.

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many new prison places he plans to provide by 31 December 2009.

David Hanson: In total, around 2,150 new places will be provided in 2009; 180 have been provided to date.

Community Orders: Research

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library  (a) a copy of the full schedule of questions and  (b) a breakdown of results from the research on community punishments undertaken by ICM and announced by his Department on 16 November 2007.

David Hanson: ICM conducted surveys of 1,085 victims of non-violent crime surveyed between 5-14 October 2007 broken down by gender, age, social class and region and 999 victims of non-violent crime surveyed between 31 October-4 November broken down by gender, age, social class and region.
	The research was used for public awareness raising about community sentences. A full schedule of questions and the breakdown of the relevant ICM survey results, including regional results, has been placed in the Library.

Crimes of Violence

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offences of wounding with intent contrary to section 18 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 were committed by offenders under probation supervision in each of the last five years.

Jack Straw: Information on reoffending of offenders commencing court orders under probation supervision or on release from custody on licence is not broken down by detailed offence type. Serious reoffending rates are available which include wounding with intent.
	Table 1 provides the number of further severe offences committed per 100 offenders during the one year follow up period for offenders commencing a court order under probation supervision in the first quarter (1 January to 31 March) of the years 2000 to 2006.
	The reoffending data does not show if an offender was still under probation supervision when the offence occurred.
	The following table shows the severity rates per 100 offenders for adults following commencement of a court order under probation supervision.
	
		
			Number of offenders  Number of severe offences per 100 offenders( 1) 
			 Court orders(2) 2000 Q1 28,859 0.6 
			  2002 Q1 29,014 0.7 
			  2003 Q1 30,757 0.7 
			  2004 Q1 31,720 0.7 
			  2005 Q1 29,728 0.8 
			  2006 Q1 36,777 0.6 
			 (1) Severe offences includes wounding with intent, as well as other serious violence offences and serious sexual offences. Please note the small numbers of most serious offences committed places a limitation on any robust breakdown of the severity rate. (2) Court orders include pre-CJA 2003 community sentences, community orders and suspended sentence orders.  Note: Data for 2001 are unavailable due to problems with archived data for community sentences. 
		
	
	Further information on the one year rates of reoffending can be found in
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/reoffendingofadults.htm.

Crimes of Violence

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many serious further offences were committed by offenders under probation supervision in each  (a) probation area and  (b) parliamentary constituency in the last year for which data is available.

Jack Straw: The Offender Management Caseload Statistics, which are published annually, provide data on serious further offences (SFOs) by offenders under probation supervision, as notified to the National Offender Management Service Public Protection Unit (PPU).
	For the purposes of the notification process in force at the time of the offences listed in the table, an SFO was a specified sexual or violent offence, which met the criteria set out in Probation Circular 41/2006.
	The following table shows, as at 20 January 2009, the number of convictions recorded to date for an SFO that was notified to the PPU between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008, by probation area:
	
		
			  Area  SFO convictions 
			 Avon and Somerset 10 
			 Bedfordshire 2 
			 Cambridgeshire 7 
			 Cheshire 9 
			 Cumbria 1 
			 Derbyshire 6 
			 Devon and Cornwall 8 
			 Dorset 6 
			 Durham 18 
			 Dyfed-Powys 5 
			 Essex 14 
			 Gloucestershire 1 
			 Greater Manchester 54 
			 Gwent 7 
			 Hampshire 8 
			 Hertfordshire 2 
			 Humberside 15 
			 Kent 22 
			 Lancashire 25 
			 Leicestershire 11 
			 Lincolnshire 1 
			 London 76 
			 Merseyside 17 
			 Norfolk 7 
			 North Wales 9 
			 North Yorkshire 3 
			 Northamptonshire 4 
			 Northumbria 31 
			 Nottinghamshire 26 
			 South Wales 16 
			 South Yorkshire 18 
			 Staffordshire 15 
			 Suffolk 5 
			 Surrey 5 
			 Sussex 7 
			 Teesside 9 
			 Thames Valley 5 
			 Warwickshire 4 
			 West Mercia 14 
			 West Midlands 58 
			 West Yorkshire 38 
			 Wiltshire 6 
			 Total 605 
		
	
	As at 20 January 2009, there were 191 cases of offenders charged with a serious further offence during the period 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 still awaiting trial.
	We do not hold information about the parliamentary constituency in which the relevant offenders were supervised. To obtain such information would require manual checking of files, which would incur disproportionate cost.
	The number of SFO convictions is around 0.35 per cent. of the number of offenders being supervised in the community by the Probation Service.

Departmental Public Consultation

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many members of the public took part in his Department's online discussion on greater citizen engagement;
	(2)  how many members of the public responded to his Department's consultation on a framework for greater citizen engagement;
	(3)  what the cost was of the consultation on a framework for greater citizen engagement.

Michael Wills: A summary of responses to the discussion paper: A National Framework for Greater Citizen Engagement was published on the Ministry of Justice website on 8 January 2009.
	27 written responses were received from engagement organisations and consultants, voluntary and community organisations, academics, local authorities and individuals. 22 people contributed to the online discussion. The summary report can be found at:
	http://governance.justice.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/summary-of-responses-report.pdf
	The framework was one of the topics for discussion at the five 'townhall' events on the wider governance Britain programme. The total cost of these events was 3,929.42.

Prisoners Release: Reoffenders

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much in subsistence payments has been made by  (a) prison governors and  (b) his Department to offenders on end of custody licence in each of the last 12 months.

David Hanson: The available information is shown in the accompanying table. Figures for subsistence paid locally are collated on a quarterly basis; breaking this figure down monthly would entail revisiting local records at disproportionate cost. Figures for more recent months are not yet available.
	When the end of custody licence (ECL) scheme was first introduced, offenders released for the maximum of 18 days received their subsistence payments in instalments through the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), who make payments on behalf of the Ministry of Justice. Offenders released for less than 18-days were paid in full by prisons on release. From 23 June 2008, payment in instalments by DWP was extended to offenders spending 15-days or more on ECL, and the effect of this is shown in the table. From 15 December, payment in instalments by DWP has been further extended to offenders spending eight days or more on ECL.
	
		
			   
			  Month  Paid centrally by Department of Work and Pensions on behalf of MoJ  Paid locally by prison establishments 
			 October 2007 119,125.92 (1)449,634 
			 November 2007 130,745.76 (1) 
			 December 2007 94,444.40 (1) 
			
			 January 2008 111,402.96 (1)440.380 
			 February 2008 90,102.48 (1) 
			 March 2008 83,209.52 (1) 
			
			 April 2008 121,398.35 (1)418.100 
			 May 2008 86,914.00 (1) 
			 June 2008 142,591.96 (1) 
			
			 July 2008 213,625.39 (1)282.952 
			 August 2008 172,167.36 (1) 
			 September 2008 216,541.81 (1) 
			 Total 1,582,269.91 (1)1,591,066 
			 (1 )Figure shown covers the three rows.

Prisoners: Foreigners

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many foreign nationals are being held on indeterminate sentences for public protection;
	(2)  how many foreign nationals being held on indeterminate sentences for public protection have completed their minimum tariff.

Jack Straw: The National Offender Management Service in the process of completing an audit of prisoners serving an indeterminate sentence of imprisonment for public protection and who are recorded centrally as being a foreign national. This audit is scheduled to be completed by the end of February, and I will write to the hon. Member, providing the data which he has requested and will place a copy of the letter in the Library.

Witnesses

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what procedures govern the selection and termination of appointments of witness intermediaries.

Maria Eagle: Intermediaries come from a range of professional backgrounds including speech and language therapy, psychology, occupational therapy, education and other health care professions. To register as intermediaries they must undergo a rigorous assessment process overseen by the Intermediary Registration Board. They are also required to successfully complete an initial five day procedural training requirement introducing them to the criminal justice system before being placed on the register.
	There is a formal complaints process where the users of the servicethe police, prosecutors and defencecan raise a specific complaint about individual intermediaries which is then subject to investigation by a member of the Quality Assurance Board for Intermediaries. The remedies available include the removal of the intermediary from the intermediary register.

Catz Club

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1124W, on Catz Club, what meetings Ministers in his Department have had with Catz Club representatives since April 2005.

Liam Byrne: Ministers in my Department have not held any meetings with Catz Club representatives since April 2005.

Catz Club

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1124W, on Catz Club, whether a copy of the confidentiality agreement between Futurebuilders and Catz Club is held by the Cabinet Office; and if he will place in the Library a copy redacting commercially sensitive elements.

Liam Byrne: This is not a matter for the Cabinet Office. I am therefore unable to place a copy in the Library.

Departmental Land

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with reference to the answer of 21 July 2008,  Official Report, column 783W, on departmental land, whether any of the land held for development within the Duchy of Lancaster's  (a) Crewe and  (b) Yorkshire Survey is (i) green belt and (ii) green field land.

Liam Byrne: Some areas within the Duchy's Crewe estate are designated as green belt land. However, none of this land has been identified for development.
	Within the Yorkshire Survey, all sites held for development fall within green field land. At Pontefract, representations have been made for three small allotment sites which fall within green belt land.

Departmental Pensions

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with reference to the answer of 21 July 2008,  Official Report, column 785W, on departmental pensions what account was taken of the  (a) new FRS 17 accounting standard and  (b) abolition of dividend tax credits in the decision to close the Duchy of Lancaster staff pension scheme to new entrants.

Liam Byrne: The abolition of dividend tax credits came into force in 1997 and there was no reference to this in the minutes relating to the decision made on 6 February 2002 to close the Duchy of Lancaster staff pension scheme to new entrants. The FRS 17 accounting standard came into force after the aforementioned decision.

Departmental Pensions

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with reference to the answer of 21 July 2008,  Official Report, column 785W, on departmental pensions, what percentage contribution the Duchy of Lancaster makes to staff pensions for staff who are not in the final salary scheme.

Liam Byrne: A contribution equivalent to 10 per cent. of the gross salary of a Duchy of Lancaster employee not within the final salary scheme is made to those younger than 50 years of age. Staff who have attained in excess of 50 years of age receive a contribution of 13 per cent. of the applicable gross salary.

Departmental Pensions

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with reference to the answer of 21 July 2008,  Official Report, column 785W, on departmental pensions, if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of the meeting at which it was decided to close the Duchy of Lancaster Staff Pension Scheme to new entrants.

Liam Byrne: The decision to close the Duchy of Lancaster Staff Pension Scheme was made by the Duchy Council on 6 February 2002. However, as the Duchy of Lancaster is a private body the minutes of meetings are confidential and it would not be appropriate for these to be placed in the Library.

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much the Cabinet Office spent on digital media training courses provided by the Internet Advertising Bureau in 2008; what proportion of this expenditure related to training for staff employed in the Prime Minister's Office; how many such training sessions were held in 2008; and how many staff in  (a) the Cabinet Office and  (b) the Prime Minister's Office attended at least one such training course.

Tom Watson: All Cabinet Office Units (including No. 10) have delegated responsibility for spend against their training budgets. No payments were made to Internet Advertising Bureau in 2007-08 year.
	There was no centrally organised digital media training provided by the Internet Advertising Bureau for Cabinet Office staff in 2007-08 year.

Futurebuilders

Nick Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 9 December 2008,  Official Report, column 43W, on Futurebuilders: Catz Club, for what reasons the Who Cares? Trust is no longer a Futurebuilders investee.

Liam Byrne: Futurebuilders England informs me that they withdrew further investment in Who Cares? Trust in July 2006 because Who Cares? Trust was unable to meet its 2006 revenue targets.

Higher Civil Servants: Retirement

George Mudie: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which permanent secretaries have retired since 1997; and which of these have subsequently accepted salaried positions paid from the public purse.

Tom Watson: holding answer 2 February 2009
	 Information relating to permanent secretary retirements will be accounted for in departmental annual reports and accounts.
	Data is not centrally held by the Cabinet Office on their subsequent employment, but where the Rules on the Acceptance of Outside Appointments by Crown Servants required that permission be sought before an appointment was taken up the details of these appointments are outlined in the annual reports of the independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA), copies of which are available in the Library of the House and on their website:
	www.acoba.gov.uk.

I-Monitoring Security Co-ordination Centre

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with reference to the written ministerial statement of 25 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 76-78WS, on departmental expenditure limit (2008-09), what the functions and activities of the  (a) i-Monitoring Security Co-ordination Centre and  (b) Information Assurance Technical Programme are.

Liam Byrne: The Government Security Zone (GSZ) i-Monitoring Security Co-ordination Centre, now referred to as the Government Security Zone-Information Room (GSZ IR), is a key deliverable from the GSZ programme. This programme is a linked series of projects intended to improve the collective physical security of Government Departments and other specified establishments located within the zone, by enhancing existing security arrangements.
	The GSZ IR has three main functions:
	Proactive use of CCTV to identify threats (particularly terrorist-related threats) and suspicious activity within the zone;
	Co-ordination of security information between the Government departmental security community and the Metropolitan Police Service and other police units;
	Provide Government Departments with a 24/7 link to the police for immediate advice on counter-terrorism and security issues and to initiate a response to incidents.
	The Information Assurance Technical Programme is a common good programme which aims to provide a sustainable UK Information Assurance capability benefiting the whole of UK Government. The IATP is run by CESG, the national technical authority for Information Assurance, and an arm of GCHQ, in partnership with industry. Governance of the programme has recently moved from the CSIA in the Cabinet Office to the Ministry of Defence. More information on the work of the IATP can be found at:
	http://www.cesg.gov.uk/products_services/iatp/index.shtml

Place and Prosperity Seminar

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will place in the Library a copy of the presentation and handouts prepared for the Strategy Unit seminar on Place and Prosperity held on 11 December 2008.

Tom Watson: Yes.

Rural Payments Agency

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with reference to the answer of 21 July 2008,  Official Report, column 785W, on Rural Payments Agency, how much the Duchy of Lancaster received in payments from the Rural Payments Agency in the last year for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: No further payment has been received from the Rural Payments Agency since that for 2007 reported in the answer given on 21 July 2008,  Official Report, column 785W. Receipt of the 2008 payment is expected by March 2009 but due to fluctuations of exchange rates the figures are unavailable at present.